1964 Gordon Keeble GK1

Chassis 39 is very well-known to Gordon-Keeble enthusiasts and GKOC (Gordon-Keeble Owners Club) members.

This glorious car has been restored and upgraded to offer optimal performance, handling, ride quality and comfort.

It is widely considered to be the ultimate expression of what the Gordon-Keeble might have become had the stars aligned a little more favourably.

It is, quite simply, unparalleled.

We have driven the car and can attest to the fact that it starts on the button, picks up pace with impressive enthusiasm, goes around corners with reassuringly predictable accuracy, and stops when you tell it to.

It really doesn’t feel like a 1960’s car.

It is balanced, nimble and responsive. Everything feels perfectly weighted – neither too light nor too heavy. Frankly, it’s a pleasure to drive.

And that big V8 makes a wondrously throaty, snorting burble that’s sure to have you grinning from ear to ear within seconds of firing it up.

Chassis 39 had been living a relatively normal life until it was bought by Brian Ansell, who wanted to retain the look of the car from the 1960s whilst improving the performance, handling, general mechanicals and comfort to the point where the car could be driven daily and, every now again, taken on a blast through France.

The car was handed over to the revered Gordon-Keeble-whisperer Ernie Knott in 1990. Ernie, who owned a coachworks and repair workshop, set up the Gordon-Keeble Centre for repair and development at Brackley. He had established the GKOC in 1970 and subsequently managed to trace all of the cars that had been produced.

The work that followed took two years, cost £120,712.71 and has been described as the ‘mother, father, sun, moon and stars of all restorations and upgrades’.

Ernie decided that what was required was a body-off restoration and a painstaking, meticulous reconsideration of every aspect of the car.

Changes and upgrades included the brakes (tandem master cylinder), steering rack (rack & pinion), steering column (modified universal joint), power steering, uprated engine (350 cu.in Chevrolet, electronic ignition, Holly carb) and an uprated automatic gearbox (350 turbo hydromatic). The full list is much, much longer.

Added creature comforts included central locking, increased internal ventilation, a burr elm centre consul and a state-of-the-art sound system.

There are extensive notes detailing the lengths Ernie went to in order to prevent the fibreglass body adversely influencing the sound quality.

The car was re-upholstered and trimmed in Connolly Poppy Red hide with thick Wilton carpets.

The result of this Herculean labour of love was, and is, the best handling and most luxurious Gordon-Keeble in existence.

In the past 24 months the current owner has thoroughly recommissioned the car, refurbished or replaced anything that needed refurbishing or replacing, and repainted the car in Aston Martin Cumberland Grey.

Over £30,000 has been spent in this period, retaining Ernie’s superb mechanical upgrades whilst externally presenting as a factory original car.

The Gordon-Keeble is a classy and stylish looking car in any hue or shade.

In our opinion, the metallic grey paintwork on this example lifts it into an altogether loftier category of elegance and refinement.

This car looks sensational from every angle.

The bodywork is pretty much pristine and there are no dinks, dents, scrapes, scuffs, nicks or chip of any note to speak of.

The paintwork has a very impressive depth of shine and lustre.

The wheels and matching tyres look as good as new.

All the external trim looks fine, as does the chrome work.

The lights, lenses and badging are all in first-class condition.

The passenger-side door might need a turn or two from a screwdriver to get it sitting perfectly flush with the bodywork.

The good news continues unabated on the inside, where the red hide upholstery provides the perfect colour contrast with the cool grey of the exterior.

The front seats are in very good condition, with just some light creasing to show here and there.

The rear seats, unsurprisingly, seem to have lived an even easier life.

The quilted leather on the door cards and the sides of the centre console has held up equally well.

The carpets and mats are in excellent condition, as is the headlining.

The burr elm veneers on the dashboard and centre console are mainly excellent, but there are one or two grazes and cracks in evidence.

The steering wheel, with its splendid tortoise emblem on the boss, is in fine fettle, as is the gear selector, instrument cluster and the array of toggles, switches, dials, levers and knobs on the dashboard.

As far as we can tell, everything electrical does what it’s meant to do.

The boot, which features a spare wheel under the floor, is as pristine as the rest of the vehicle. The important bits of the car’s very chunky hi-fi system are tucked away at the back of the boot.

Lifting up the carpets here, or anywhere else on this splendid car, reveals nothing to worry about whatsoever, as far as we can see.

The undersides of the car appear to have great deal of structural integrity and are seemingly untroubled by either time or use.

Everything looks solid, honest and straight.

The engine bay is pretty much immaculate. Everything seems to be clean and dry and in its right and proper place.

The car’s mileage today is 17,100.

On the occasion of its last MoT in June 2014, the mileage was recorded as being 16,302.

Reassuringly, this car has more history than Hampton Court Palace. Far too much to list or describe here, in fact.

Two substantial history files accompany chassis 39, documenting all of the work completed by the current owner over the last two years, all the work done by Ernie and his team from 1990 – 1992, and all manner of letters, cuttings, articles, bills, invoices, receipts, MoTs, tax discs, etc.

Everything that’s been refurbished, restored or replaced is meticulously documented and archived.

It’s really very obvious that everything - from the engine, gearbox, brakes and suspension to the bodywork, electrics and upholstery - has been properly, obsessively and expensively sorted out and screwed down.

The car comes with its original driver’s manual (with instructions on how best to manage your wife).

Please visit the documents section of the gallery of this listing where you will find photos of this and other paperwork to support our claim that this car has been maintained to a very good standard.

If you’d like to inspect the car prior to placing a bid – something we would encourage – then please use the Contact Seller button to arrange an appointment.

Only 100 Gordon-Keebles were ever made.

These are seriously rare cars.

But this one – chassis 39 – is utterly unique.

It is the Gordon Keeble of Gordon-Keebles, the ultimate iteration of the model, the example that sets the standard to which all others aspire.

No, really, it is.

It looks fabulous, drives superbly and all of the heavy lifting (and spending) has been done by other people.

If you’re holding out in the hope of finding a better one, you’re wasting your time.

We’re happy to offer this vehicle for auction with an estimate in the range of £90,000 - £120,000.

Viewing is always encouraged. This particular car is located with us at The Market HQ near Abingdon; we are open weekdays between 9am-5pm, to arrange an appointment please use the Contact Seller button at the top of the listing. Feel free to ask any questions or make observations in the comments section below, or try our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.