VIN: the Gulf Racing / Malcolm Guthrie Mirage M1 chassis M10001
History of chassis M10001
Chassis M10001 was the first of three Mirage M1s completed by John Wyer Automotive Engineering (JWAE).
Conceived as the ultimate GT40, the M1 was created to contest the Group 4 Sports class of the World Sportscar Championship. However, the FIA deemed it to have been sufficiently modified from the original GT40 to warrant classification as a Group 6 Prototype, much to the disappointment of John Wyer.
Nevertheless, the Gulf-backed M1s posted several good results during 1967; one of the sister cars (M10003) took outright victory at the Spa 1000km, Swedish Grand Prix and Paris 1000km.
As for chassis M10001, it was the most extensively raced of the three M1s.
Although the car failed to finish any of its outings in the 1967 World Sportscar Championship, Jo Bonnier subsequently drove it to win the Skarpnack Stockholmsloppet while Jacky Ickx and Brian Redman used M10001 for their victory in the end-of-season Kyalami 9 Hours.
In 1968, JWAE campaigned a small number of tricked out GT40s as the FIA introduced a three-litre engine limit for Group 6 cars. This suddenly gave the Group 4 GT40 a two-litre advantage over the Prototypes.
Against the odds, the Gulf GT40s won that year’s World Championship by taking wins at Brands Hatch, Monza, Spa, Watkins Glen and Le Mans.
One of the three Mirage M1s had been written off at the Nurburgring in 1967 (M10002) while another (M10003) was converted to Mk1 GT40 trim and raced by JWAE in 1968. This left chassis M10001 as the only example to remain in its original Mirage M1 configuration.
M10001 was mothballed for most of the 1968 season. However, at the end of the year, it was wheeled out for the Kyalami 9 Hours which it had won in 1967.
As the Kyalami race was part of the Springbok winter series (and outside of the auspices of the FIA), over three-litre Group 6 Prototypes were still eligible to compete.
On this occasion, Jacky Ickx was joined by David Hobbs and M10001 took its second win in Africa’s most important endurance race.
During the event, Malcolm Guthrie, had crashed his privateer Mk1 GT40 badly enough that the car could not be locally repaired. To continue in the series, he concluded a deal with John Wyer to purchase M10001.
Guthrie used M10001 for the next four Springbok races.
At the Cape Town 3 Hours he was joined by David Hobbs who had stayed on for a holiday. They finished second overall. Guthrie then drove solo in the Rhodesian Grand Prix at Bulawayo where he finished third. Guthrie was partnered by Mike Hailwood for the three hour races at Lourenco Marques (finished first) and Pietermaritzburg (finished third).
On the car’s return to the UK in early 1969, it was switched from the original Gulf colour scheme to Guthrie’s preferred livery of metallic grey with a magenta stripe.
Guthrie continued to race M10001 into 1969. Most of the time he enlisted the help of professionals like Mike Hailwood, Peter Gethin and Richard Attwood.
M10001 returned to South Africa for the 1969-1970 Springbok winter series, but results were generally disappointing.
Guthrie later sold M10001 to Frank Williams who in turn passed it on to Derek Robinson. Robinson sold the car to Anthony Hutton who raced it a couple of times in 1973.
By 1974, M10001 had been acquired by Harley Cluxton in Arizona.
It has remained in the USA ever since.
Notable History
John Wyer Automotive Engineering (Gulf Racing)
09/04/1967 IND Le Mans Test (R. Attwood / D. Piper) 6th oa, 3rd P5.0 class (#12)
25/04/1967 WSC Monza 1000km (J. Ickx / D. Thompson) DNF (#6) - Rees switched for Thompson
01/05/1967 WSC Spa 1000km (D. Piper / D. Thompson) DNF (#7)
28/05/1967 WSC Nurburgring 1000km (J. Ickx / R. Attwood) DNF (#6)
11/06/1967 WSC Le Mans 24 Hours (D. Piper / D. Thompson) DNF (#14)
13/08/1967 IND Swedish GP, Karlskoga (J. Bonnier) 2nd oa, 2nd SP2.0+ class (#2)
24/09/1967 IND Stockholmsloppet, Skarpnack (J. Bonnier) 1st oa (#2)
04/11/1967 SPR Kyalami 9 Hours (J. Ickx / B. Redman) 1st oa, 1st J class (#4)
09/11/1968 SPR Kyalami 9 Hours (J. Ickx / D. Hobbs) 1st oa, 1st K class (#1)
Sold to Sir Malcolm Guthrie (Team Malcolm Guthrie Racing)
23/11/1968 SPR Cape Town 3 Hours (D. Hobbs / M. Hailwood) 2nd oa, 2nd G class (#2)
01/12/1968 IND Rhodesian GP, Bulawayo (M. Guthrie) 3rd oa (#86)
08/12/1968 SPR Lourenco Marques 3 Hours (M. Hailwood / M. Guthrie) 1st oa (#1)
26/12/1968 SPR Roy Hesketh 3 Hours, Pietermaritzburg (M. Hailwood / M. Guthrie) 3rd oa (#1)
04/01/1969 SPR East London 500km (M. Guthrie / M. Hailwood) DNS (#??)
Repainted grey metallic and magenta
29/06/1969 IND Norisring 200 mile (M. Hailwood) DNF (#6)
13/07/1969 IND Hockenheim Solituderennen (E. Nelson) 14th oa, 3rd SR7.0 class (#2)
08/11/1969 SPR Kyalami 9 Hours (P. Gethin / M. Hailwood) DNF (#3)
22/11/1969 SPR Cape Town 3 Hours (P. Gethin / M. Hailwood) DNF (#3)
05/12/1969 SPR Lourenco Marques 3 Hours (R. Attwood) 3rd oa (#3)
13/12/1969 SPR Bulawayo 3 Hours (M. Hailwood / M. Guthrie) DNS (#3)
27/12/1969 SPR Roy Hesketh 3 Hours, Pietermaritzburg (M. Hailwood / M. Guthrie) NC (#3)
1972 sold via Frank Williams to Derek Robinson
1972 sold to Anthony Hutton (Forward Enterprises Ltd.)
20/05/1973 INT Silverstone (A. Hutton) DNS (#45)
27/08/1973 SGT Castle Combe (A. Hutton) 6th oa (#??)
1974 sold to Paul Weldon
1974 sold to David Mulvaney
1974 sold to Harley Cluxton
Text copyright: Supercar Nostalgia
Photo copyright: The Henry Ford Museum - https://www.thehenryford.org/
