Description
Asking | €250, 000 EUR One of just 28 customer specification M1B chassis constructed for the 1966 racing season Repatriated to the UK in 1977 by Ian Webb and subsequently rebuilt to original specification by marque specialist Paul Lanzante Raced extensively in Historic GT and Can-** events by John Foulston, Richard Knight, and Jeffray Johnstone from 1980-88 Fascinating candidate for further historic racing, eligible for numerous events including the Goodwood Revival and Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion If Ferrari remains motor racing’s most revered name, then surely McLaren persists as the sport’s most accomplished all-rounders; a claim underpinned by their 20 Formula One World Championship titles, three Indianapolis 500 wins, five consecutive Can-** Championships, and victory, on debut, at the 1995 24 Hours of Le Mans. In contrast to much of their subsequent competition success, McLaren’s formative years were characterised by the production of customer-focussed sports cars; the svelte, tubular-framed McLaren-Elva Mark 1—retrospectively dubbed the McLaren M1A—first emerging from the team’s Colnbrook workshops in the autumn of 1964. Available with a variety of engine options, including the Cobra-derived 289 cubic inch Ford unit and the ubiquitous small-block Chevrolet, the M1A soon became a mainstay of short- and middle-distance sports car racing in both Europe and the United States; significant success being achieved by the likes of Graham Hill, Chris Amon, Ludwig Heimrath, and Bruce McLaren himself. For 1966, the Mark 1’s design was further refined; McLaren and his team co-founders Robin Herd and Tyler Alexander conspiring to produce the evolutionary Mark 2, alternatively known as the M1B. The new car retained much of its predecessor’s architecture—not least its double wishbone with coil spring suspension, dual-circuit Girling brakes and four-speed Hewland LG400 transaxle—but significantly featured a revised chassis some 20 per cent stiffer than the M1A’s. New fibreglass bodywork designed by motor racing artist Michael Turner gave the car a noticeably more stubby and purposeful appearance, while its track was widened by an inch, substantially due to the fitment of wider cast magnesium wheels. Some 28-production specification M1Bs were constructed, along with three works cars; Bruce McLaren driving his own works-entered example to third place in the inaugural 1966 Canadian-American Challenge Cup. With Can-** cars designed and purchased by their original owners explicitly for racing use, these cars were often used as intended from day one. As such, McLarens like the M1B were often modified by their original owner to keep them, and their ultra-competitive owners, at the front of the grid as long as possible. Such is the case with the M1B offered here, having been used and enjoyed on the track by owners in both the United States and Europe. In the case of this particular car, at the conclusion of its competitive career in its original form, it was transformed into a single-seat Formula A racer. In doing so, its conversion was facilitated by the removal of its sidepods and the installation of a cockpit-mounted fuel tank. Initially the car retained its original-specification Ford engine, but from mid-season onwards a 302ci Chevrolet unit was installed. The burgeoning European historic racing movement of the mid-1970s led to the repatriation of many UK-built but hitherto US-domiciled cars, and this car’s continuous history is confirmed from the point it returned ‘home’ to the United Kingdom. A report on file, undertaken on behalf of a previous owner by a well-regarded McLaren specialist, attributes its earliest history to Bud Morley, who campaigned his M1B from new in USRRC, SCCA, and Can-** events in 1966 and 1967 before undertaking the aforementioned Formula A conversion, with the car being sold to Glenn Brown of Kent, Washington, in 1969 who continued to campaign the car in this guise. Acquired from prominent Missouri-based enthusiast Chuck Haines in 1977 by Northdown Racing proprietor Ian Webb, the car was promptly entrusted to former Tyrrell Formula One mechanic Paul Lanzante for a complete rebuild to original M1B specifications. Lanzante would proceed to forge his reputation as arguably the foremost restorer and race preparer of Historic Can-** machinery—not to mention as Team Principal of the 1995 Le Mans-winning McLaren F1 squad—and the car was duly rebuilt to his customary exacting standards. Shortly after completion, Webb sold the car to computer leasing magnate and historic racing luminary John Foulston, who campaigned it in Historic Sports Car Club events throughout 1980 and 1981. Preparation responsibilities remained with Lanzante, and the fitment of a potent Chaparral-built 5-litre Chevrolet engine ensured that Foulston won five races in 1981, as well as the eventual HSCC Historic GT Championship. However, Foulston’s ownership of the car was relatively short-lived, as a deal was agreed upon with...
