<< Prev Page 2 of 2 Mated to a new Hewland four-speed gearbox, the Traco-Olds V8 was fitted into the brand new McLaren chassis. Like many of his contemporaries, McLaren opted for a spaceframe design. The multi-tubular frame combined light weight with exceptional rigidity and was relatively easy to build and repair. Further rigidity was added by bonding and riveting aluminium panels on the sides and floor of the frame. The main longitudinal tubes doubled as oil and water pipes for the front-mounted radiator. Conventional independent suspension and Girling disc brakes were used front and back. In September of 1964, Bruce extensively tested the rolling chassis at Goodwood. Shortly after, a striking, Tony Hilder penned, aluminium body was fitted and the McLaren M1 was ready for action.
The September 26 Mosport Grand Prix for sports cars was the scene of the new manufacturer's debut. McLaren qualified his McLaren on the front row, led the race and eventually finished third after losing three laps with throttle linkage problems. McLaren competitively campaigned his black and silver machine in the remainder of the North American season. Teething and at times silly mechanical problems prevented the M1 from living up to its potential. Nevertheless the M1's performance had attracted the interest of potential customers. Producing the cars on a large scale was beyond the capabilities of the small McLaren crew, so Bruce outsourced the construction to specialist Elva. While the original M1 was still in the United States, Elva started building the 'Elva-McLaren Mark 1'. There was one small problem; there were no drawings of the original car.
Early in 1965 the first customer car was ready, which was delivered without an engine to give the clients the opportunity to fit the light weight Oldsmobile or the more powerful Chevrolet and Ford engines. John Coombs entered his M1 for Graham Hill, who scored the model's maiden victory in May at Silverstone. While Elva was assembling a staggering 24 M1s, McLaren was busy developing an improved version. Dubbed the M1B, it sported a slightly revised chassis and a completely new body penned by artist Michael Turner. In retrospect the original M1s were renamed M1A. The McLaren Works team raced the M1B with some success in the second half of the 1965 season and in the maiden Can-Am championship of 1966. By that time the spaceframe cars were rightly outclassed by monocoque Lolas and Chaparrals. The final M1C incarnation was a customer car for the 1967 season, which sported more aggressive wings.
Bruce McLaren's first racing car was certainly not an outright success on the track. With over 75 'replicas' produced and sold, it most definitely was a commercial success. The simple and effective M1 established McLaren as a serious manufacturer and paved the way for the team's absolute Can-Am domination that would start in 1967 with the monocoque M6A. << Prev Page 2 of 2
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Mated to a new Hewland four-speed gearbox, the Traco-Olds V8 was fitted into the brand new McLaren chassis. Like many of his contemporaries, McLaren opted for a spaceframe design. The multi-tubular frame combined light weight with exceptional rigidity and was relatively easy to build and repair. Further rigidity was added by bonding and riveting aluminium panels on the sides and floor of the frame. The main longitudinal tubes doubled as oil and water pipes for the front-mounted radiator. Conventional independent suspension and Girling disc brakes were used front and back. In September of 1964, Bruce extensively tested the rolling chassis at Goodwood. Shortly after, a striking, Tony Hilder penned, aluminium body was fitted and the McLaren M1 was ready for action.