The Mirage Lightweight Racing Car was built by J.W. Automotive Engineering (JWAE) in Slough, England, initially to compete in international sports car races under the Gulf Oil Corporation banner. The project began in the spring of 1967, following Ford’s decision to discontinue the Ford GT40 program. During preliminary tests for the 1967 24 Hours of Le Mans, two cars appearing as Ford GT40s in Gulf Oil colours were revealed to be Mirages based on the Ford GT40 Mk I.
John Wyer bought a project from English designer Len Bailey, aiming to improve the aerodynamics, mass, and suspension of the Mk I. The Mirage M1 first ran on March 21, 1967, with Le Mans serving as its first major test. The team subsequently won the 1,000 Kilometers of Spa and continued its winning streak in Sweden, Paris, and Kyalami. However, both M1s retired from the 1967 24 Hours of Le Mans.
For the 1967 season, JWAE built and raced the M1, a sports prototype based on the Ford GT40. Recognizing the GT40’s reliability but acknowledging its weight and lack of power, JWAE modified a standard MkI chassis, altering the greenhouse and squaring off the front bulkhead. Carbon fibre was used in conjunction with fiberglass body parts, a first in automotive racing, and a 289 V8 engine was initially used, later upgraded to capacities up to 5.7 litres.
The Mirage debuted with the now-iconic powder blue and marigold livery. A highlight of the M1’s career was Jacky Ickx and Dick Thompson’s victory in the rain-soaked 1967 Spa-Francorchamps 1000 km, along with a win at the 9hr Kyalami race. At the end of 1967, regulations banning Group 6 cars over 5 litres and under 50 production models led JWAE to attempt to reclassify the Mirage as a reworked GT40, but this was unsuccessful. Of the three M1s built, only M10001 survives today in its original design.
M10001 participated in WSC races in 1967, winning at Skarpnack and Kyalami in 1968 before being purchased by Malcolm Guthrie. M10002 crashed during practice for the 1967 Nürburgring 1000 km and was written off. M10003 secured wins at Spa, Karlskoga, and Montlhery in 1967, and was later rebuilt as a “lightweight” GT40 (P1074), winning at Monza in 1968 and later used as a camera car for the film Le Mans.
The M2 was built in 1968 for the new 3 Litre Group 6 Prototype class, but the BRM V12 powered cars were rarely raced and met with no success. The revised and roofless M3 of 1969 was powered by the Ford Cosworth DFV V8, but also saw limited use, as JWA concentrated on racing Ford GT40s.
The M4 was a roadster conceived between 1969 and 1970, coupling an M3 chassis with a 5-liter Ford GT40 engine, but development was halted when JWAE signed an agreement with Porsche to use the 917 for the 1970 season. In 1969, the M5, a Formula Ford single seater, was built and raced during the 1970 British F.Ford season under the Willment Group banner. Confusion arose due to John Horsmann referring to the M5 as the roadster and the M4 as the single seater.
After competing with Porsche 917s in 1970 and 1971, JWAE developed the M6 to race as a Group 5 Sports Car in the 1972 World Championship for Makes. The M6 featured a steel-reinforced riveted aluminium chassis coupled with a detuned 3-litre Cosworth DFV engine, and open fiberglass bodywork. While heavier, a Weslake V12 engine was also tested, intended to be smoother and more powerful than the Cosworth. The M6 achieved a win at the 1973 Spa-Francorchamps 1000 km.
The GR7 model was renamed to Gulf GR7 for 1974, reflecting Gulf Oil’s sponsorship. "Gulf Ford" placed second in the 1974 World Championship for Makes.
In 1975, the team secured its last victory in the 24 Hours of Le Mans with the GR8, driven by Jacky Ickx and Derek Bell, with Vern Schuppan and Jean-Pierre Jaussaud finishing third. The race was excluded from the World Championship for Makes due to new fuel consumption rules. Jean-Louis Lafosse and François Migault finished second in the 1976 24 Hours of Le Mans. In 1977, the car was fitted with a Renault 2 L turbo V6 engine, and Vern Schuppan and Jean-Pierre Jarier finished second in the 1977 24 Hours of Le Mans.
Following Gulf Oil’s withdrawal from international sports car racing in late 1975, Harley Cluxton III purchased the Mirage team. As a Group 6 Prototype entrant, Cluxton continued racing the Mirages at Le Mans, finishing second overall in both 1976 (Cosworth engine) and 1977 (Renault engine).
The M9 of 1978 featured a new open long-tail body and was powered by a turbocharged 2.1-litre 6-cylinder Renault engine. One example finished tenth in the 1978 24 Hours of Le Mans.
The M10 of 1979 used an updated M8 chassis with a revised open long-tail body and a 3-litre Ford Cosworth DFV engine. Two M10s were entered in the 1979 24 Hours of Le Mans, but neither finished.
The last Mirage constructed was the M12, a Group C prototype with an aluminum honeycomb monocoque and Cosworth 3.9-litre DFL engine. Disqualified 20 minutes before the start of the 1982 24 Hours of Le Mans due to a technical infraction, the M12 showed potential as both a Group C and IMSA GTP competitor, but the program was aborted. Two chassis were built, with one used in IMSA GTP with modest results.
In 1982, Grand Touring Cars, Inc. president Harley E. Cluxton III negotiated with Renault to build an engine for the CART Championship and the Indianapolis 500, derived from the Renault V6 previously used on the GR8 and M9. The project, intended for drivers like Mario Andretti, Rick Mears, Tom Sneva, or Geoff Brabham, was ultimately cancelled when Renault withdrew from the American market in 1985. The engine was installed in a Lola T900 chassis and later sold to a private collector.