A glimpse of one of our legends of yesteryear.
The McLaren M7A of 1968 gave McLaren their first Formula One wins. It is driven here by Bruce McLaren at the Nürburgring in 1969. Photo: CC BY 2.0 Lothar Spurzem
Bruce McLaren 1966 Photo: CC BY 2.0 Lothar Spurzem
Amanda McLaren joins Chris Whitta to recall her father, New Zealand motor-racing legend Bruce McLaren, and we hear archival audio of Bruce himself.
Bruce McLaren was born in Auckland, New Zealand in 1937, and suffered serious health issues as a child, but he went on to became a world class international motor racing driver, engineer and designer. He was killed on 2 June 1970, aged 32, whilst testing one of his cars at Goodwood Circuit, in the United Kingdom. His family set up the Bruce McLaren Trust in his memory.
Along with Bruce McLaren, fellow New Zealanders Chris Amon and Denny Hulme were at the top of the car racing world stage in the 1960s and '70s. In 2009 a DVD called Trio At The Top was released and, with Bruce McLaren and Denny Hulme both deceased, Chris Amon spoke to Kathryn Ryan about their careers.
The name McLaren is still used in Formula 1 motor racing today, not least due to the McLaren racing team Bruce started in 1963, one of the most successful in the history of the Formula One championship. Jim Mora spoke to Chris Amon for the McLaren company's 50th anniversary.
