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  Mirage M12 Cosworth      

  Article Image gallery (12) M12-002 Specifications  
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Country of origin:Great Britain
Produced in:1982
Numbers built:2
Author:Wouter Melissen
Last updated:May 07, 2014
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Click here to download printer friendly versionTwo cars were ready in time and entered for the 24 Hours of Le Mans with Mario and Michael Andretti assigned to the first car and Rick Mears and John Morton set to drive the second. At a relatively late stage, it was decided to focus on the primary car, leaving Mears and Morton without a drive. The second car was sent to Le Mans but served as a spare. Mario Andretti's first appearance at Le Mans since 1967 captured a lot of attention for the Pioneer backed machine.

Taking no risks, the father and son team placed the M12 on the fifth row of the grid. It all went horribly wrong for the American team when the car was rolled onto the grid ahead of the start. One of the officials noticed that the oil coolers were mounted behind the gearbox, which was against the regulations. They had always been there and the car had passed scrutineering in this form, so Cluxton was understandably very upset. There was no time to make the necessary modifications and the Mirage M12 was excluded.

Vowing never to return to Le Mans or the World Championship, a furious Cluxton had the cars shipped back to the United States. They were extensively tested but did not appear on the track again until 1983 when the ex-Andretti car was entered in three IMSA GTP races by Conte Racing. A seventh in the Miami Grand Prix was the best result for the ill-fated Mirage. After the Laguna Seca 100 miles, in May of 1983, no Mirage was raced again in a contemporary event.

It is believed that Tiga built three chassis but it is not known whether all were built into complete cars.

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  Article Image gallery (12) M12-002 Specifications