Keith Duckworth wasn’t a fan of the Ford DFV racing at the Le Mans 24 Hours. When legendary sportscar team boss John Wyer told him of his plan to put the Formula 1 engine into a new prototype bearing the Mirage name for 1972, the straight-talking Cosworth man told him not to bother.
The story is recounted by five-time Le Mans winner Derek Bell, who would remain on Wyer’s books after team sponsor Gulf stepped up to the plate to fund a new car in the wake of Porsche’s enforced withdrawal from the top flight of world championship sportscar racing at the end of 1971.
