One to Buy: Unique Imola 500km winning 1969 Mirage M3
John Wyer’s Mirage team created the M2 as a Group 6 Prototype to contest the 1969 World Sportscar Championship alongside the team’s Group 4 Ford GT40s that had won the title in 1968.
Three of the new M2 Coupes were built up during the course of 1969, the first of which (chassis 01) was to run a Ford engine with Hewland gearbox while chassis 02 and 03 used BRM motors with ZF units.
Owing to difficulty sourcing a Cosworth DFV because of demand from F1 teams, chassis 01 was the last M2 that appeared. It debuted at the Nurburgring 1000km on June 1st 1969, but retired at quarter distance with suspension trouble.
On its return from Germany, chassis 01 was uprated to M3 Spyder specification, the only one of the three M2s to be reconfigured as such.
In its new open top form, chassis 01 showed much promise at the Watkins Glen 6 Hours and Zeltweg 1000km, but ultimately failed to finish on either occasion. However, it subsequently came good at the Imola 500km non-championship race where Jacky Icky took a commanding victory.
Unfortunately, the M3 programme was abandoned soon afterwards following Porsche’s decision to recruit John Wyer’s Gulf Oil-backed operation to manage the 917 programme for 1970 and ‘71.
Currently on offer with Fender Broad in Holt, Wiltshire, is the one and only M3 created by Mirage: chassis 01.
Presented in superb condition throughout, this unique Group 6 Spyder would make an exciting and competitive entry for all manner of prestigious historic events.
Reprinted below is Fender Broad’s description:
Make: Mirage
Model: M3
Year of Manufacture: 1969
Exterior Colour: Gulf Racing Livery
Engine: 3000cc Ford Cosworth DFV
Transmission: 5-Speed Hewland DG300
Price: £POA
Everything seemed to be going well on the world of endurance racing in the year 1967. The Ford-Ferrari duel was in full swing and the spectators were treated to some dream machines. But, in front of the soaring performances, the sporting power takes a turn.
In August, it was announced that endurance racing would be based on two new categories from the 1968 season. On the one hand: the “sport prototypes” (Group 6) whose engine capacity was now limited to 3 liters. On the other hand, the “sports cars” (Group 5) could have a capacity of 5 liters but had to be produced in at least 50 examples.
With a stroke of the pen, the mythical Ford MK IV 7 liters, Ferrari P4 4 liters and other Chaparral 2F 7 liters are sacrificed on the altar of safety!
This decision raised a general outcry from manufacturers and fans alike. While Ford and Ferrari slammed the door on endurance racing, John Wyer showed more pragmatism, from his workshops in Slough, in the London suburbs.
The English manager quickly saw that this upheaval offered a superb opportunity to bring out his beloved GT40s, now subsidized by Gulf Oil. Aware that the GT40 was at the end of its career, the boss of John Wyer Automotive Engineering decided to play both sides. At the same time as the GT40 was entered in the “Sport” category, he began the groundwork in 1968 for a prototype that he wanted to power with the Ford-Cosworth V8 that had just made a thunderous debut in Formula 1, the DFV.
Unfortunately, Ford refused him this engine but no matter, John Wyer asked the engineer Len Terry, known for his collaborations with Lotus and Eagle, to design this Mirage M2, equipped with a V12 BRM. The development of this prototype was disrupted by an accident that postponed its entry into competition to 1969.
Fortunately, the team’s valiant Ford GT40s won the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the world championship! The M2 finally made its racing debut on April 13, 1969 at Brands Hatch in the hands of Jacky Ickx and Jackie Oliver.
During its five outings, the proto with Gulf colors was struggling. After his successes of the previous year, John Wyer finally gets a Cosworth engine, which is installed in the 001 chassis which had only been used for testing up to this point.
This M2-001 took part on June 1st in the 1000 Kilometers of the Nürburgring alongside chassis 003, equipped with the new 48-valve BRM V12. Although it did not finish the race, the Cosworth version proved to be more competitive. Encouraged by the new outlook of the sporting powers, Len Terry goes back to work and modifies the M2-001 chassis to make it a spyder, baptized M3.
The removal of the roof results in better aerodynamics as well as a weight reduction of 36 kilos, which added to the weight saving from the new engine and gearbox (the light Hewland gearbox replaced the original ZF). In this configuration, the Mirage was transformed!
This spyder made its debut at the 6 Hours of Watkins Glen on July 17. The Ickx/Oliver duo qualified in fifth position but had to retire due to a broken camshaft. The car’s participation in the final of the world championship, held at Zeltweg on 10 August, was much more convincing. The 001 chassis was again modified to boast new exhausts, lowered front and rear bodywork to improve the aerodynamics and reinforced suspension.
Jacky Ickx was the fastest driver in Friday’s practice session and no one was able to beat him on Saturday. The Belgian started from pole position and led for 99 laps until a steering problem forced him to give up victory to the Porsche 917 of Jo Siffert.
Eager to confirm this potential, JWAE entered the M3 spyder in the 500 km of Imola on September 14. Once again Jacky Ickx took pole position and dominated the race, which was finally cut short by heavy rain.
Ironically, the M3 spyder took its first victory in what turned out to be its last race. Indeed, at the end of September 1969, John Wyer gave a press conference in London revealing the agreement made with Porsche according to which JWAE would give up its Mirage and other Ford GT40s to enter the monstrous Porsche 917s in endurance races from 1970 onwards.
As soon as it was launched, the career of the unique M3 spyder was sadly cut short.
Now, offered for sale in its original Gulf livery, this Mirage M3 Spyder is eligible for several superb historic racing series such as MASTERS Sports Car Legends, Classic Endurance Racing by Peter Auto, Daytona Classic 24 Hours and Sebring Classic 12 Hours by HSR, and the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion.
This car is an icon of its day, as the spiritual successor to the Ford GT40, the Mirage M3 Spyder brings together all the pieces of an incredibly special endurance racer and piloted by the original “Mr. Le Mans”.
