The 1967 JWA/Gulf Mirage M1
In order order to satisfy the homologation requirements necessary to allow the GT to compete, FAV in Slough were also contracted to build a limited run of road-going 'production' versions of the GT car. In 1966, Grady Davis - who happened to be the Vice-President of the Gulf Oil Corporation - purchased one such example (Chassis no P1049) and became a fan of the car. Davis had long realised that motor racing would be a good platform to promote the Gulf brand and, on hearing of plans to build a new lightweight racing version of the GT, decided to become involved.
As of 1st January 1967, Ford scaled down their interest in FAV, which became known as JWA (or John Wyer Automotive Engineering). Following Grady Davis' offer to underwrite development of a new racing version, JWA then went in to partnership with Gulf to develop and race the new lightweight GT whilst Ford focused on winning Le Mans with the Mark IV.
The lightweight JWA car was not the first Gulf-liveried GT40 to race. Whilst the new chassis were being constructed at Slough, Davis had his own car shipped to England and race-prepared by JWA. P1049 was then shipped back to the US and entered into the Daytona race in February in Gulf Oil colours. Jacky Ickx and Dick Thompson drove it to 6th place.
The debut of the new cars, given the designation M.10001 and M.10002, was at the Le Mans trials of 8th and 9th April 1967. The racing chassis was a lightened version of the original GT40 but the bodywork had been changed to incorporate a much narrower, more aerodynamic cockpit (see images above and below) and the GT40-style air ducts in front of the rear wheels were removed giving the M1 a much more rounded look. The 289 inch engine had also been upgraded to 351 inches. Another important change was a new name - the car was now known singularly as the 'Mirage'. The cars have come to be known as Mirage M1s although they were in all respects a modified GT40.
The first win for the M1 came at the Spa 1000 Km in May for the Ickx/Thompson pairing. Unfortunately, the FIA refused to recognise the car as a Ford for the manufacturer's championship and officially awarded the points to 'Mirage'. Therefore, no pints from JWA/Gulf cars would contribute to the Ford as a constructor for the rest of 1967.
A third chassis, M.10003, was built by JWA after M.10002 was destroyed at the Nurburgring in late May. However, in June both M.10001 and M.10003 failed to finish at Le Mans. The season did improve with victories at two non-championship races in Sweden plus a victory at the Paris 1000 Km at Montlhery in October and the 9 Hours of Kylami in November.
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