---
title: John Wyer · HICONIUM
description: John Wyer in the HICONIUM register — one file carrying their credit.
canonical_url: https://hiconium.dev/people/john-wyer
image: https://hiconium.dev/og/people/john-wyer.png
---

> HICONIUM · Index: https://hiconium.dev/llms.txt · Every page: append `.md` or send `Accept: text/markdown`.
> Path: [Home](https://hiconium.dev/) › [People](https://hiconium.dev/people) › John Wyer
> On this page: [Compact striking force](#compact-striking-force) · [Necessity before novelty](#necessity-before-novelty) · [One file carries this name](#one-file-carries-this-name)

People

# John Wyer

Ford GT40 race manager and JW Automotive co-founder

| Label | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Born | Kidderminster, 1909 |
| Died | Phoenix, Arizona, 1989 |
| Nationality | British |

The record

British team manager who established Ford Advanced Vehicles' GT40 race team and co-founded JW Automotive Engineering, whose Gulf GT40s won Le Mans in 1968 and 1969.

After an apprenticeship at Sunbeam and work for Solex Carburettors, Wyer left in 1945 to run Monaco Motors for Dudley Folland. In 1950 David Brown asked him to form and run the Aston Martin team. By 1959 Wyer was general manager of Aston Martin Lagonda, while Reg Parnell ran the team. Roy Salvadori and Carroll Shelby won Le Mans in a DBR1; Aston Martin also took the World Sportscar Championship.

Ford hired Wyer at Slough in 1963 as race manager of Ford Advanced Vehicles. Ford credits Roy Lunn and Eric Broadley with designing and building the GT40, and Wyer with establishing its race team. All three Fords retired at Le Mans in 1964. After later failures, Dearborn gave Carroll Shelby operational control and Roy Lunn engineering control; Ford Advanced Vehicles closed on 31 December 1966.

On 1 January 1967, Wyer and John Willment formed JW Automotive Engineering, retaining the former FAV staff and factory to continue building and supporting GT40s. Gulf backed the racing team. It raced the GT40-derived Mirage M1 in 1967 before returning with a Sport-class GT40. Pedro Rodríguez and Lucien Bianchi won the postponed 1968 Le Mans; Jacky Ickx and Jackie Oliver repeated the result in 1969 in chassis P/1075.

### Compact striking force

Wyer told Sports Illustrated in 1970 that Ford had not given the GT40 or a “compact striking force” a fair chance or enough time. JW Automotive then won Le Mans in 1968 and 1969 with the Sport-class Mk I.

### Necessity before novelty

Road & Track quotes Wyer’s autobiographical rule: “Is it necessary or can we win without it?” Its account says the 1968 GT40 used Mirage M1 refinements and that P/1075 returned to win again in 1969.

The stations

1. 1945–1950 Monaco Motors Manager
2. 1950–1963 Aston Martin Lagonda Team manager, later general manager
3. 1963–1966 Ford Advanced Vehicles Race manager
4. 1967–1971 JW Automotive Engineering Co-founder and team owner
5. 1972–1975 Gulf Research Racing Company Director

The house

[![Ford](https://hiconium.dev/images/marques/full/ford.svg)](https://hiconium.dev/manufacturers/ford)

Credited through Ford Advanced Vehicles · JW Automotive.

In the register

## One file carries this name

- [Ford GT40 Programme and team manager · Ford Advanced Vehicles · JW Automotive 1964–1969 €5.5M 1964–1969 €5.5M Rating 97.0](https://hiconium.dev/vehicles/ford/gt40)

The files above are the register's own record of this name. [The people index](https://hiconium.dev/people) holds everyone the register credits.

In their words

> “Ford never gave the GT40 or the idea of a compact striking force a fair chance or enough time.”

John Wyer · Sports Illustrated, 1970, as quoted by Road & Track in 2023

Sources

- [motorsportmagazine.com](https://www.motorsportmagazine.com/archive/article/may-1989/6/john-wyer/)
- [24h-lemans.com](https://www.24h-lemans.com/en/news/gulf-1967-1975-1-the-ford-gt40-years-45681)
- [corporate.ford.com](https://corporate.ford.com/articles/history/ford-gt40-origins.html)
- [24h-lemans.com](https://www.24h-lemans.com/en/news/the-50th-anniversary-of-the-1968-24-hours-of-le-mans-49435)
- [roadandtrack.com](https://www.roadandtrack.com/car-culture/a43530038/john-wyer-greatest-le-mans-win-started-by-getting-fired/)
- [astonmartin.com](https://www.astonmartin.com/en/models/past-models/db4-db4-convertible)
- [24h-lemans.com](https://www.24h-lemans.com/en/news/aston-martin-at-the-24-hours-of-le-mans-2-5-roy-salvadori-endurance-racing-gladiator-52650)
- [autosport.com](https://www.autosport.com/wec/news/obituary-jwa-le-mans-winning-chief-engineer-john-horsman-1934-2020-4983177/4983177/)
- [motorsportmagazine.com](https://www.motorsportmagazine.com/archive/article/june-1967/18/continental-notes-june-1967/)
- [gulfoilltd.com](https://www.gulfoilltd.com/motorsport)
- [racingsportscars.com](https://www.racingsportscars.com/chassis/results/GT40%20P__1075.html)
- [media.ford.com](https://media.ford.com/content/fordmedia/feu/fr/fr/news/2018/08/24/une-nouvelle-ford-gt-heritage-edition--gulf--pour-celebrer-les-5.html)
- [porschecarshistory.com](https://porschecarshistory.com/wp-content/old/biblio6/89/The_making_of_a_winner__the_Porsche_917_--_Pihera_Larry_1933_1.pdf)