August, 2008
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Bruce McLaren puzzling over F1 car
at Spa circa 1966. |
I'm not sure if there has been a car in Mercedes-Benz history that has garnered more media exposure than the soon-to-be out of production Mercedes McLaren SLR. A road tester's favorite and every young enthusiast's dream car, the impact of the SLR on our automotive culture extends far beyond its meager total production figures.
But among the reams of PR issued by Mercedes and McLaren over the SLR's slightly maligned production life, I've read nothing about the man behind McLaren and by rights part of the ethos embodied in the SLR. No, I'm not talking about McLaren International Director Ron Dennis, but the man himself - Bruce McLaren.
SLR promotional material has sought to establish the SLR's racing heritage via an ancestral connection to the 302 hp 1955 300SLR sports cars and specifically that car's greatest victory, the 1955 Mille Miglia. Fair enough, but what about the McLaren side of the racing equation?
We simply can't forget the dedication, boundless energy and skill of quiet New Zealander and McLaren founder, Bruce McLaren. With Teddy Mayer and Tyler Alexander at his side, he built one of the most efficient teams in auto racing, simultaneously handling testing, making significant design decisions, and driving the cars. This commitment extended to both the North American based Canadian American Challenge Cup as well as the European Formula 1 series from the mid '60s into the '70s.
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Grid camaraderie l-r: Phil Hill, Jim Hall chatting with McLaren (seated)
and Tyler Alexander - Laguna Seca CanAm 1966. |
It was the Canadian American Challenge racing series or CanAm, however, in which McLaren enjoyed his greatest successes. With teammate Dennis Hulme, McLaren steamrolled the competition from 1967-1969, the pair winning 90% of the races and prompting the media, weary of the orange McLarens winning regularity, to refer to the series as the "Bruce and Denny show."
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| Quiet Kiwis: Bruce McLaren(L) and Denny Hulme(R). |
Under Bruce's guidance, the CanAm operation set standards of professionalism and car preparation previously unseen in North America. The team's intensity and methodical preparation reflected their awareness of the business side of the racing world. Offering excellent prize money for the day, the CanAm series became the Kiwi's cash cow. Bruce and his small staff attacked the series methodically, insuring most of the CanAm's cash headed back to New Zealand.
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| Hulme(#5)and McLaren(#4)lead thundering pack at Bridgehampton 1969. |
A quote from Bruce in early 1970 sums McLaren's approach succinctly: "What you have to do is come up with a car that is slightly better than someone else's, and do it now. Get it done, get it done simply, get it done early..." Even while dominating the series, Bruce remained immensely popular both with fans and fellow competitors.
It was no surprise then that the racing world was absolutely stunned at the news of Bruce's death on June 2, 1970 testing the M8D at Goodwood in England. The loss of improperly fastened rear bodywork at high speed sent the car into a lone marshal's embankment and cost Bruce his life. He was only 33.
While Mercedes has connected their street driven SLR with the racing SLRs of 1955, a more direct ancestor can be found in one of Bruce's personal projects, the M6GT road car he used as personal transportation in the late '60s. Essentially an M6 CanAm car with enclosed coachwork, this 180mph coupe offered shattering performance with a laughable lack of refinement. The four cars constructed sit in private collections today.
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| True predecessor to the SLR? McLaren's personal M6GT in front of his house in Burwood, NZ. |
Far from the overheated marketing environment that pervades McLaren International today, the McLaren boys of the 60s were racers to the core. They got on with their business with no fluff and no hype. This author saw every lap the McLarens turned at Laguna Seca Raceway in Monterey, Ca from 1967-1972. The cars were impeccably presented, towed with bland white Chevrolet pickups on bland white open trailers. And there wasn't a hospitality suite anywhere in sight.
When we see a current Formula one race with the McLarens fighting at the top of the grid or spy an SLR on the road, we should all pay a moment's tribute to the quiet Kiwi that started it all 44 years ago.
Roy Spencer,
editor www.ourSL.com
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