Yahoo Finance Rare 1969 John Wyer Gulf-Mirage M2 with BRM V-12 Is up for Auction
That famous Gulf Oil livery is only one of the interesting attributes of this V-12–powered Gulf-Mirage M2.
The car shown here that is coming up for auction is reported to be the third of only three Wyer Gulf-Mirage M2 cars built and has a long history of appearances at vintage-car events.
The auction will be held September 20–21 in Saratoga Springs, New York, to support the Saratoga Automobile Museum, so you've got time if you want to bid.
The story of the John Wyer Automotive Gulf-Mirage M2 pictured here-arguably one of the least known vehicles to wear the Gulf livery-is in many ways the story of John Wyer. Wyer made a name for himself as team manager for Aston Martin's 1959 24 Hours of Le Mans victory, later moving to Ford to work on the GT40 program and eventually helming the GT40 continuation program at Ford's behest. While the GT40 competed in the Group 4 class, it was Wyer's decision to compete in the Group 6 prototype class that ultimately gave birth to the Mirage M2.
Limited to 3.0-liters of displacement, it seemed a given that Wyer's ties to Ford would ensure a steady supply of the new 3.0-liter Ford-Cosworth DFV V-8s for the team's Group 6 campaign. When it was discovered that entire production run of engines had been spoken for, Wyer turned to British Racing Motors (BRM) to secure the use of the naturally-aspirated, 24-valve, 3.0-liter V-12 it used in its F1 program. With the engine sourced, Wyer then turned to Lotus and Eagle alumni Len Terry as chief engineer and chassis designer. When the Mirage M2 was ready for testing late 1969, JWA enlisted the talents of David Hobbs, and later Robin Widdows to shake down the prototype.
A second car was assembled in time for the 1969 season, making its debut at Brands Hatch, where it placed 11 with Jacky Ickx and Jackie Oliver at the wheel. Later, Ickx placed second in qualifying at Spa but failed to place in the race. At that point, the decision was made to field the Mirage M2 only on shorter events due to concerns of spotty reliability; for longer events, the Gulf livery team would field a comparatively proven GT40 continuation car in Group 4.
Eventually Wyer got his hands on some Cosworth-Ford V-8 engines and had third Mirage built, but the podium continued to elude them until the team went for broke and cut roof off a Cosworth-Ford–powered Gulf-Mirage to shave weight and alter aerodynamics. The team dubbed that model the Gulf-Mirage M3. Ickx put that car on the pole and the podium at Imola in September of the year, but it was a hollow victory; at the end of the 1969 season, Wyer would take his Gulf sponsorship with him and sign on with Porsche to run a team of 917s. The Gulf-livery Porsche 917s would go on to dominate competition and be burned into the consciousness of a generation thanks to the car's appearance in Steve McQueen's 1971 racing film Le Mans, overshadowing the Gulf-Mirage.
Fresh Concours Restoration
The Gulf-Mirage headed to auction at Saratoga is reported to be the third of the three Wyer Gulf-Mirage M2 examples built. Fresh off a concours restoration returning it to its original competition configuration, the powertrain is a freshened BRM V-12 3.0-liter (183 cubic inch) engine rated at 315 horsepower at an incredible and incredibly specific 10,599 rpm. A ZF 5DS24 five-speed gearbox handles the gear-swapping duties.
Although it is said the restoration "emphasized originality and authenticity," no mention of the powertrain's originality is given, but considering the experimental climate of that era, it would likely be hard to verify. The car was raced during the 1969 season with David Hobbs and Mike Hailwood behind the wheel, and Hobbs himself will accompany the car to the auction to share recollections of the era and his experiences driving the Gulf-Mirage.
Although Wyer, who died in 1989, was by all accounts a demanding and unsentimental type, we imagine he'd be pleased to know that even minor footnotes in his career are still capable of stealing the show.
('You Might Also Like',)
