Beschreibung:

Here we offer for sale a most significant mid-1970s Le Mans sports-prototype—the Gulf Research Racing-built Gulf-Cosworth GR8—chassis '802'—which was driven by Vern Schuppan/Jean-Pierre Jaussaud into third place in the Le Mans 24-Hours classic of 1975. The Gulf program was then taken over by Harley Cluxton's well-known Grand Touring Cars Inc operation and '802' in GTC livery was co-driven at Le Mans in 1976 by Jean-Louis Lafosse/Francois Migault to finish second in France's fabulous annual Grand Prix d'Endurance. As if this would not be sufficient race history for any modern classic, '802' offered here then finished second again at Le Mans in 1977 when Vern Schuppan/Jean-Pierre Jarier drove the car, which had been re-equipped with a turbocharged Renault V6 engine. Still '802' soldiered on, entered by GTC, returning to Le Mans in 1978 to finish 10th co-driven by Vern Schuppan/Jacques Laffite/Sam Posey. Back at the Sarthe circuit for the fifth time in 1979, once more powered by a Cosworth-Ford V8 engine, chassis '802' – co-driven by Schuppan/David Hobbs/Jean-Pierre Jaussaud – for the first time failed to finish. During this extraordinary career, '802' was variously titled as the Gulf-GR8 (1975), Mirage-Ford M8 (1976), Mirage-Renault M8 (1977), Mirage-Renault M9 (1978) and Mirage-Ford M10 (1979) so please forgive us the simple title used for this Lot. Yet beneath the skin – Grand Touring Cars Inc principal Harley Cluxton assures us - it was all essentially the same individual chassis structure, eventually sold to German collector Peter Kaus, displayed within his Rosso Bianco Collection in GR8 form, and now offered here. Original constructor Gulf Research Racing was the natural descendant of the legendary Gulf-JW Automotive racing team which had achieved such enormous World Championship-winning success from 1967-1974. During that period, with the management team of John Wyer, David Yorke, Arnold Stafford, and the engineering direction of ex-Aston Martin Works team member John Horsman, the Gulf-JW organization had masterminded world title success with Ford GT40 and Porsche 917 and 908/3 cars. They had also campaigned the long series of Mirage endurance racing prototypes, beginning with the reduced-frontal-area Mirage M1 version of the GT40 as early as 1967. By 1972 after the withdrawal of the Porsche 917s, the Gulf Oil-sponsored JW team turned to racing 3-liter BRM and Cosworth-Ford engined Mirage cars designed for them by consultant Len Terry. The line of Gulf-Mirage sports-prototypes evolved through 1972-73 into the Gulf-Mirage M6 open-cockpit sports-prototype model, in which Derek Bell/Mike Hailwood/Howden Ganley and Vern Schuppan shared the driving of two cars between them to finish first and second in the 1973 Spa 1,000Kms classic. This great performance achieved the first Mirage victory in a World Championship-qualifying endurance race since the Ford-based Mirage M1 had won at the same circuit in 1967. For 1974 the British-based team fielded 'Gulf-Mirage' GR7 sports-prototypes, one of which finished fourth at Le Mans co-driven by Bell/Hailwood/Schuppan. For the 1975 season, the Gulf Oil company wanted rather more prominent brand promotion than hitherto, and so the overall 'Mirage' name was dropped, and as Gulf Research Racing they introduced Gulf GR8 model now offered here into a motor racing world that was in deep recession... The team ignored the year's World Championship series to concentrate instead upon the great individual prize of Le Mans. This was to be John Wyer's swansong as team leader, although his long-time technical lieutenant John Horsman played a more hands-on role during the race. The GR8 offered here was absolutely tailor-designed to meet the contemporary regulations. Engineer Len Bailey—of Ford GT40 and P68/69 fame—had designed the original Mirage M6 chassis, which formed the basis of the replacement GR7. For Le Mans 1975 John Horsman recalls: "We wanted a longer body to reduce drag and Len drew a new chass