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1970 McLaren M8C

Lola won the inaugural year of the Can-Am racing series. In 1967 the McLaren M6A captured the first Can-Am series championship victory for McLaren, a trend that would continue for five years. There were only four factories that scored championship victories in the original Can-Am series, and they were Lola, McLaren, Porsche, and Shadow. Shadow won the last original Can-Am championship that concluded in 1974.

In 1967 a production version of the M8A factory was produced, dubbed the M8C. The racing version was introduced followed by the production version. Because of this, the M8D could be seen on the racing circuit while the production of the M8C was being produced.

In 1971 McLaren introduced the M8E, which shared many similarities to the M8D. The next iteration was the M8F which was similar to the M8D but had a slightly updated design and a wing extension, also known as fences. Gordon Coppuck designed the McLaren M8F for the purpose of competing in Can-Am racing. The Chassis was comprised of monocoque and a Reynolds aluminum body. The Group 7 8360 cc alloy Chevrolet V8 engine was capable of producing around 750 horsepower. A 72-gallon fuel tank was dispersed on either side of the driver. Packed in rubber cells and padded with layers of foam, it added to the distribution of weight throughout the vehicle, improving braking and handling. A Hewland LG500 MKII transmission helped disperse the horsepower to the rear wheels. The aerodynamics of the body and the wing created over one and a half tons of downforce, which kept the 1850-pound vehicle firmly planted on the track at speeds. In 1971 Peter Revson drove a McLaren M8F to the Can-Am championship where he emerged as champion after winning eight of ten races. This meant he was the first American to win the title. His teammate Denny Hulme finished second. This would be the final year for the McLaren dominance in Can-AM racing.


by Daniel Vaughan | Mar 2008

Related Reading : McLaren M8 History

McLaren had done extremely well during the 1967 CanAm season with their M6A Works Team cars. They had secured a championship victory with their three cars. In 1968, McLaren put this design into production as a customer car and dubbed it the M6B. Bruce McLaren was the youngest Grand Prix winner who would eventually become a car manufacturer. His resume includes racing on the Cooper Works F1 team....
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1970 McLaren M8C Vehicle Profiles

1970 McLaren M8C vehicle information
Spyder

Chassis #: 70-08

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