Mirage or not?

Just a little confused,

Recently saw a Blackhawk Collection advert in March Octane for M/10001 that stated it was the "Only surviving Mirage Ford GT40!!"

Today's PistonHeads Headlines says " 1967 Mirage Chassis No.10002 - the first Gulf-liveried car to run at Le Mans" has been acquired for wealthy collector, see below:

PistonHeads Headlines - Gulf Collection Hits Retromobile

Maybe someone can enlighten me. TVM :huh::huh::huh::huh:
 

Ian Clark

Supporter
Well Harley Cluxton and the chaps at Gelsco will definatively know about the sole surviving M1. The car in the Piston Heads link looks a bit too strait and early spec to jive as being THE ACTUAL MIRAGE.

I'll go a out on a limb here and say it's a private commision car newly built to very high standards and early 1967 specifications.

The ACTUAL MIRAGE comes out once in a while showing upgrades to later specs, Gulf wheel arches, adjustable rear Gurney spoiler and round driving lights being the most obvious.

Either that or somebody with a chain saw will cut me off the limb if the ACTUAL MIRAGE has been backwards restored like many GT40s to meet vintage racing classifications! We need more info...

Cheers (listening for the sound of chain saws!)
 

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Harley Cluxton had the car built at Gelscoe around the original tag taken off the wrecked 1002 and used some of the salvaged parts. I supplied the NOS 351 xe block and some other items. You can see the car being built on Gelscoes website along with other cars they have built.


M1001 is in northern Ca in the blackhawk collection and is shown once in awhile as well as loaned to other museums.

The third Mirage was turned into 1074 and is also at Harley's shop in Scottsdale.

Jay
 
351 ? its got a 289 in it, as it very first ran, complete with all its original bodywork and a whole lot of other original parts.

A.
 
Harley bought an NOS original tall deck XE 351 block from me still in the Holman Moody crate among other items from me for this car. It was easier to sort the car with a 289 but believe his intenetions were to run the 351 as his FIA paperwork allowed if he kept it long enough. We even talked about an original tall deck Holman Moody aluminum block but they were never finished machined and required too much work. The strangest part of this story is that I have had 6 of these NOS blocks and 1 used since the early 80s and never even came close to selling 1 until a year ago and have sold 3 since.
 

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Hi Jay, I'm assumming that block was known as a "Mirage" 351 block but was the motor also built with the "Mirage" heads that had the dropped combustion chambers?
 
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