Endurance race cars have always been some of our favourite automobiles of all time. Their no-nonsense approach to the pursuit of speed, coupled with their ability to lap some of the world’s greatest circuits seemingly without end places them among the greatest engineering achievements mankind has ever created. Now, thanks to Aguttes’ Endurance Legends sale on April 27th, seven of these wild prototype race cars are coming up for auction, all of which hail from a single collection belonging to French businessman and Racing Driver Jacques Nicolet, who owns and races for the FIA World Endurance Championship racing team, OAK Racing. There’s plenty of gorgeous metal and carbon fibre to appreciate in this sale, so let’s take a closer look below!
1969 Mirage M3 Spyder
Powered by a Ford-Cosworth V8 Formula One engine and swathed in one of the most iconic liveries of all time, this Mirage immediately caught our eye with its minimalist good looks and sterling race history. Driven in-period by Jacky Ickx, this car — chassis 001 — managed to secure two pole positions and a victory at the 1969 500 km of Imola in its heyday, proving its on-track prowess. If you’re looking for a vehicular companion to enter into historic racing in the near future, this stunning Mirage would be an excellent choice.
1972 Duckhams LM
This is a very special racer indeed. For the 1972 24 Hours of Le Mans, the great Alain De Cadenet enlisted the help of none other than a young Gordon Murray to transform his Brabham BT33 F1 car into a prototype fit for Le Sarthe. Gordon Murray had to work in secrecy on weekends and afternoons, ensuring that Brabham boss Bernie Ecclestone didn't catch wind of his skunkworks project. Nevertheless, it took him just six weeks to design this car's bespoke monocoque chassis. To help finance this project, De Cadenet convinced lubricant brand Duckhams to get involved, hence the name, and this car’s vibrant yellow and blue livery, which was designed to mimic an oil can. One of the lightest cars on the grid at the 1972 24 Hours of Le Mans, this Duckhams made it to fourth place with just two hours left on the clock, but unfortunately a mistake in the rain meant it would settle for a 12 place finish. Even so, this is an attractive and competitive race car, and one that would be shockingly good fun on track.
1974 March 74S
Powered by a 3-litre Cosworth Formula One V8, this March is guaranteed to get your adrenaline pumping. Chassis 006 is one of only two cars from the total of eleven built to feature Cosworth’s powerhouse, making it a rare find indeed. In the hands of the right driver, this March should be a force to be reckoned with in the Classic Endurance Racing championship.
1982 Rondeau M382
Spurred on by his victory at the 1980 Le Mans 24 Hours, Jean Rondeau decided to tackle the American market with this Chevrolet V8-powered M382. A direct evolution of the M379 that had won at Le Mans, the M382 was initially powered by a Cosworth DFL V8, with which it won the World Endurance Championship’s inaugural at Monza. However, reliability and cost issues prompted the swap to the Chevy engine. This car, chassis 001, was campaigned by Gary Belcher, who took the fight to Porsche’s dominant 935s in the IMSA championship.
2011 OAK Pescarolo LMP2
Directly derived from the full-fat LMP1 series, LMP2 offered a more budget-friendly way for gentleman drivers and privateer teams to experience the thrill of Le Mans. Wearing the perfectly-suited Gulf Racing livery, this Pescarolo LMP2 racer was quite formidable on track, securing three podium finishes and a second place overall finish for its class in the Intercontinental Le Mans Cup. Now fully restored and refurbished, this athletic race car is eligible for many exciting classic endurance racing championships.
2013 OAK Racing Art Car
While most art cars are created by painting onto the blank canvas of a race car, Fernando Costa went a step further with this LMP2-based sculpture. Using fragments of road signs, Costa stitched together a beautiful collage onto the exterior of this endurance racer, making over 20,000 welds in the process. Normally adding 400 kilos to a Le Mans racer would be considered sacrilege, but when the end result looks as good as this, we can certainly forgive the extra weight.
2014 Ligier JS P2
This isn’t just a menacing race car, it represents Ligier’s return to dominance on the world endurance stage. This car, chassis 001, won the LMP2 world title at the hands of Roman Rusinov, Sam bird, and Julien Canal under the G-Drive racing team. As for its name, the ‘JS’ is a tribute to Jo Schlesser, with whom Guy Ligier competed in the 1967 Le Mans 24 Hours. Now, you could own this impressive championship-winning racer.
Photos by Mathieu Bonnevie, Antoine Pascal, and Arthur Chambre
Neuilly-Sur-Seine, 27 Apr
