1972 McLaren

Bruce McLaren was born in New Zealand in 1937. At age 22 he won his first Grand Prix championship race, the youngest man ever to accomplish that feat up to that point. He founded Bruce McLaren motor Racing Ltd. in Slough, England, in 1963 and began experimental and design work. McLaren purchased Roger Penske's Cooper-based Zeres Special race car and after driving it unaltered for a few British races, he and his crew tore the car apart and rebuilt it using an Oldsmobile engine for power. The result was the first true McLaren car and it won its first time out at Mosport, Canada, in 1964. In 1966, the new Canadian-American (Can-Am) Challenge Cup series began and McLaren's team finished second and third. In 1967, McLarens won five out of six Can-Am races, four out of six in 1968, and 11 out of 11 in 1969. In June, 1970, McLaren was killed testing his latest Can-Am challenger, the M8 when the rear section of his car broke away from the front end, rammed into an earthen bank and exploded. Despite the loss of McLaren, plans went ahead for McLaren cars to continue. With the McLaren M20 displayed here, McLaren team manager Teddy mayer's goal was to improve driver and engine cooling, obtain nimbler handling with more front adhesion and achieve cleaner aerodynamics. The 509 cubic inch fuel-injected Chevrolet V-8 engine received detail improvements, producing 750 hp. Drivers Denny Hulme and Peter Revson drove two M20s in the 1972 Can-Am race with Hulme finishing first and Revson third.