1965 McLaren M1A Sports Racer

The McLaren Mark I was a mid-engine Group 7 sports prototype race car produced from 1963 to 1968. Popular V8 engine options were sourced from Oldsmobile, Chevrolet, and Ford and paired with the dependable Hewland LG500 four-speed transaxle.

As its name suggests, the Mark I was the team's first sports car they designed and developed, and later versions, including the M1B and M1C, competed in the North American Can-Am series, starting in the 1966 season. During the 1963 and 1964 seasons, the cars competed in Group 7 and United States Road Racing Championship series events, in North America and Europe.

Approximately 24 examples of the M1A and M1B were built, along with 25 examples of the M1C.

Chassis Num: 20/14
This McLaren-Elva Mark 1A is a Chevrolet-powered chassis that was originally delivered to New Yorker Mike Goth who competed in SCCA- and USRRC-organized events. He intended to compete in the 1965 Autoweek Championship, which soon morphed into the Can-Am Championship for 1966.

This Mark 1A made its racing debut on October 10, 1965, at Kent, Washington, but teething issues resulted in disappointing results. The following week, he placed 10th at the Laguna Seca 200 mile. It was entered for the race at Riverside, but the car did not appear, and the season ended with a transmission failure in the final round in Las Vegas.

Uncertain about the car's aerodynamic stability, Goth had a new aluminum Mark II-style body fabricated by Wally Peat of Seattle, Washington. It is unclear if the body was installed for the start of the 1966 season, but Goth had a favorable 3rd place finish to start the season at Bridgehampton in mid-May.

At the end of the summertime USRRC season, chassis 20/14 was prepared for the inaugural 1966 Can-Am series that fall, and contested five of the six rounds. By this point, the Mark 1A wore a red paint scheme and its track had been widened by around 1.5 inches. Known as the McLaren Goth Special, it had its best results of 11th at Mosport and 10th at Riverside.

After purchasing a Lola T70 for the 1967 season, chassis 20/14 was rendered surplus so it was sold to Jim Paul of Los Angeles, California, later that year. Mr. Paul raced it in five Can-Am rounds across the 1967 and 1968 seasons but was unable to reach the finish in any of these outtings. The car later passed to an unnamed Californian Corvette enthusiast. By 1987, its frame, aluminum body and suspension components had been acquired by Bill Moir of Salinas, California, and later passed to Wilton, California-based enthusiast Mike Blackie.

While in Mr. Blackie's care, the car was given an exhaustive four-year restoration. Fittingly, it made its post-restoration Vintage race debut at Kent, Washington, the same location it had made its inaugural outing some 27 years earlier.

This McLaren was acquired by its present Zealand-based owner in 2007 and has enjoyed a successful vintage racing career throughout Australasia, including competing in every NZ Festival of Motor Racing between 2010 and 2014, and in the Vintage support race at the 2013 Australian Grand Prix.

By Daniel Vaughan | Nov 2024