<< Prev Page 2 of 2 Finished in McLaren's original racing colour of red, the M5A was ready for round eight of the season; the Canadian Grand Prix at Mosport. McLaren qualified a promising sixth on the grid but ultimately finished four laps behind race winner Jack Brabham, in seventh. The BRM-engined M5A was pressed into service again for the remaining three Grands Prix of the 1967 season. Unfortunately, McLaren had to retire early on each occasion with engine-related reliability issues.
For the 1968 season, McLaren had inked a deal for the supply of the hugely competitive Ford-Cosworth DFV engines. To suit the new engine, Herd created the new M7A, which was not quite ready for the season opening South African Grand Prix. Instead, the newly signed and fellow Kiwi Denny Hulme was handed the M5A for the January 1st race. The defending World Champion qualified ninth and would go to finish fifth, scoring the M5A's very first points.
The unique M5A was then sold to the highly talented Swedish privateer racer Jo Bonnier, who, nearly a decade earlier, had scored BRM's first Grand Prix win. Painted in his typical colours of yellow with red and white stripes, he campaigned the car for most of the season. Like McLaren before, Bonnier often suffered from mechanical issues but when the car held together, he posted some competitive results. The highlight was a sixth place finish at Monza, which added another point the car's tally.
At the end of the 1968, the one-off McLaren M5A BRM was retired from contemporary racing. For what was effectively a stop-gap machine, the car had a relatively long and not altogether unsuccessful career. Lessons learned with this car were undoubtedly used to great effect on the immediately competitive M7A that followed. << Prev Page 2 of 2
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Finished in McLaren's original racing colour of red, the M5A was ready for round eight of the season; the Canadian Grand Prix at Mosport. McLaren qualified a promising sixth on the grid but ultimately finished four laps behind race winner Jack Brabham, in seventh. The BRM-engined M5A was pressed into service again for the remaining three Grands Prix of the 1967 season. Unfortunately, McLaren had to retire early on each occasion with engine-related reliability issues.