<< Prev Page 3 of 3 Over the winter, the cars were further developed and four of the five M6s were rebuilt as the Gulf Mirage GR7s. Much of the work concentrated on getting the weight down to the Le Mans winning Matras. This was mostly achieved by using titanium for many parts. The aero package was also tweaked by lengthening the nose and moving the wing further back. The Matras were as quick as ever and Alfa Romeo had returned with a brand new flat-12 engined version of their Tipo 33 racer, which was also instantly competitive. Bell set the fastest lap in the season opening Monza 1000 km race, grabbed the pole at Spa and finished third in the final three rounds of the World Championship. At Le Mans, the Mirage also survived and claimed fourth. Unfortunately the pace and reliability could not be converted in victories. Another blow was the retirement of Grady Davis at Gulf Oil. He had been the company's strongest supporter of the motorsports program.
Wyer did manage to convince the Gulf Oil executives to fund one more try at Le Mans. To meet the specific needs of the high-speed track, Bailey created a longer wheelbase chassis. This 'GR8' was clothed in a slippery body penned by Horsman and Wyer. Two examples were entered, equipped with very mildly tuned Cosworth DFV engines. In qualifying the two powder blue and orange machine locked out the front row. During the race the engine's vibrations caused a cracked pipe on the leading car but it could be replaced in time for Derek Bell and Jackie Ickx to clinch the victory. The sister car with Schuppan and Jean-Pierre Jaussaud completed the party with a third. It was the third win at Le Mans for the Wyer and Gulf partnership but also its last. Gulf withdrew its support and the cars were sold off.
It was by far not the end of the Mirage story as the two GR8s were acquired by American Harley Cluxton, who had big plans for the cars. Employing many of the Gulf Racing staff, he entered the two cars at Le Mans. Still powered by the DFV V8, they finished a credible second and fifth behind the all new Porsche 936. With revised bodies and now fitted with turbocharged Renault engines, they were back again in 1977. One retired but the other finished second to the 936 again. The cars were back two more times but no notable results could be added to the Mirages' tally. Although they won only two major races, the Mirage M6 and its various derivatives still rank among the finest racing cars of the 1970s. The small team was always up against giants like Ferrari, Matra and Alfa Romeo. The Mirage was certainly the most successful of all DFV engined sports prototypes of the period. << Prev Page 3 of 3
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Over the winter, the cars were further developed and four of the five M6s were rebuilt as the Gulf Mirage GR7s. Much of the work concentrated on getting the weight down to the Le Mans winning Matras. This was mostly achieved by using titanium for many parts. The aero package was also tweaked by lengthening the nose and moving the wing further back. The Matras were as quick as ever and Alfa Romeo had returned with a brand new flat-12 engined version of their Tipo 33 racer, which was also instantly competitive. Bell set the fastest lap in the season opening Monza 1000 km race, grabbed the pole at Spa and finished third in the final three rounds of the World Championship. At Le Mans, the Mirage also survived and claimed fourth. Unfortunately the pace and reliability could not be converted in victories. Another blow was the retirement of Grady Davis at Gulf Oil. He had been the company's strongest supporter of the motorsports program.