Own A Piece Of Racing History With This 1969 Gulf Mirage M2

Wearing what is easily the most recognizable racing liveries around, this 1969 Gulf-Mirage M2 is notable for more than its racing appearance. The John Wyer Automotive Gulf-Mirage M2 for sale, listed on Hemmings, represents the story of John Wyer in a lot of ways.

John Wyer is most commonly associated as being the team manager for Aston Martin during the 1959 24 Hours of Le Mans victory. Wyer would later go on to work for the Ford GT40 program. Ford’s GT40 was a competitor in the Group 4 class, while Wyer would eventually create the Mirage to compete in the Group 6 prototype class.

View in gallery

View 5+

View

View

View

View

View

View 5+

Over the run of the Mirage program, three series of the cars were produced, each named after their respective runs. Eventually, Wyer would take his Gulf sponsorship and sign with Porsche to run the 917 team. Thanks to competition domination and the appearance of the Gulf-clad 917 in Steve McQueen’s 1971 flick, Le Mans, the Mirage would go onto live in the shadows of the Porsche in Gulf livery recognition.

During the run, only three of the Gulf Mirage M2 cars would be made. This car is raced during the 1969 race season with David Hobbs and Mike Hailwood sliding behind the wheel. It’s reported that this is actually the only remaining of the group that was returned to its original raced condition.

View in gallery

The concours restoration that returned it to the original configuration also meant refreshing the powertrain. The BRM V12 3.0-liter 183 cubic-inch engine has been refreshed and is rated at 315-horsepower. Backing the engine is a ZF 5DS24 five-speed manual transmission. It has been shown at Monterrey Historics, Sebring, Amelia Island, Greenwhich, Monticello, Radnor Hunt, and the Simeone Museum.

This is the first time the car has been available for public sale. The auction will take place September 20-21, 2019 in Saratoga Springs, New York. Check it out here.