Finished in the ever striking Gulf colors, the JW Automotive cars were no doubt the fastest small-block GT40s yet. Among the drivers hired to drive the Gulf GT40s were the likes of Brian Redman, David Hobbs and Jacky Ickx.

The Gulf-liveried GT40 was a crowd favorite during the Amelia Island Concours. (Photo: Wouter Melissen)

They faced strong competition in the World Championship with Lola managing to get the T70 homologated as a production sports car and Porsche fielding the very quick 907 and 908 prototypes powered by 2.2-liter and 3-liter eight-cylinder engines.

Porsche got off to a stellar start in 1968, taking outright victories at Sebring and Daytona. JW Automotive hit back with wins at Brands Hatch, Monza, Spa and Watkins Glen. Scheduled late in the year due to strikes, the 24 Hours of Le Mans was the final round of the season.

Keen to win their first outright win at Le Mans, Porsche fielded four 908s against three Gulf GT40s. The German manufacturer had to wait another year as Pedro Rodriguez and Lucien Bianchi came out on top in their GT40, securing the World Championship for JW Automotive.

For the 1969 season, Wyer hedged his bets and fielded the all-new Mirage M2 prototype in the shorter distance events while relying on the tried and trusted GT40s in the long races.

Bidding for the iconic GT40 Gulf could reach $5 million. (Photo: Wouter Melissen)

During the winter, the homologation requirements for sports cars had been reduced from 50 to just 25 examples. This inspired Porsche to build a five-liter prototype racer, the 917, in large numbers. But for a variety of reasons, the German manufacturer relied mostly on the further developed 908. Ferrari also returned to the fray with the 3-liter 312 P.

The new Porsche 908/2 proved quick straight out of the box, but thanks to its tenacity, the Gulf GT40 took another win in the Sebring 12 Hours, this time with Jacky Ickx and Jacky Oliver behind the wheel. Sadly, this was a rare success for the JW Automotive team in the races leading up to Le Mans.

The new Mirage M2 proved to be both too fragile and underpowered to compete with the 908s. The main problem was the BRM V12 that the team was forced to use as Ford had opted to supply their new Cosworth DFV engine to a rival team.

For the 24 Hours of Le Mans, a pair of ttried and trusted GT40s were brought out once again. Despite the type's hat-trick of wins, the Gulf-liveried machines were now outsiders. Porsche brought a small army of 908s and 917s and looked the clear favorites. There are no certainties at Le Mans, however, and in the final hour, Ickx and Oliver emerged in the lead, chased hard by Hans Herrmann and Gerard Larousse in the sole surviving works 908.

A legendary drive from Ickx eventually saw him score the GT40s fourth win, with Herrmann a mere 120 meters behind, which is still the closest ever finish at Le Mans.

The 1969 Le Mans would be the last hurrah for the GT40 after a career at the top that spanned more than half a decade. For 1970, JW Automotive served as one of the Porsche-supported semi-works team, successfully fielding Gulf-liveried 917s. Scoring back-to-back Le Mans wins and bringing Ford a third World Championship, the Gulf GT40 was not only the final GT40 development but also the most victorious.

For a gallery of photos, see Gulf GT40.

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