1966 McLaren M1B Sports Roadster

During the 1960s, Bruce McLaren was one of the most successful Formula 1 drivers. Along with his driving abilities, he was also an accomplished race car designer and builder. His cars won 20 World Championships and were a dominant force in the Can-Am series between 1967 and 1972, where they won 56 races. Additional accolades for McLaren include three Indy 500 victories, winning the 24 Hours of Le Mans, and a victory at the 12 Hours of Sebring.

The M1 sports racer was developed in 1961. The M1 had a mid-engine design and an independent suspension setup with coil springs and widely spaced wishbones. The multi-tube chassis was clothed with aluminum panels bonded to the sides. It was light and rigid with a stressed floor and bulkhead. The main tubes doubled as oil and water pipes.

The McLaren M1 made its racing debut, driven by McLaren, at the Mosport Grand Prix for sports cars in September of 1964, where it led the race until throttle problems dropped it to 3rd. The M1 contested the rest of the season, attracting customers along the way. The first customer car was delivered in 1965, and Graham Hill won at Silverstone.

Work, development, and fine-tuning continued on the M1A, resulting in the M1B of 1965 and 1966. Michael Turner, Tyler Alexander, and Robin Herd were among the individuals responsible for many of the new changes. The M1B weighed the same as the M1A but was 20 percent stronger.

McLaren built 28 examples of the M1B for the American market.

In 2008, a previous owner purchased chassis number 25 to restore. He hired Bill Moir in Oregon to help reconstruct the car. As many original parts were retained, including the steering rack, transaxle, and the left-hand fuel cell. Over the next four years, the car was built before it was taken to Rick Hamlin for final assembly to fit the new body to the chassis. The engine was built by Pantera Performance of Castle Rock, Colorado. It is a bored and stroke, dry-sump 348 cubic-inch, aluminum-block Ford V8 fitted with period-correct Weber carburetors and Edelbrock aluminum heads. It produces over 500 brake horsepower which is delivered through a three-disc Can-Am-style clutch to a Hewland LG500 transaxle, which was rebuilt by the Matthews Collection in Colorado and has two sets of gears. The original Airheart brakes have been replaced by Wilwood units, and the 30-gallon fuel cell has new foam.

By Daniel Vaughan | Nov 2017