John Spiers driving his 1966, McLaren Elva M1B, in the wet, during the HSCC Thundersports Race at the 2019 Silverstone Classic
In 1965, McLaren introduced the M1B, its latest sports racer for Group 7 (and later, Can-Am) competition, which regulated the number of seats (two) and very little else about a car’s construction. The M1B was an evolution of its earlier M1A, and during Can-Am’s 1966 debut season it would deliver valuable lessons for McLaren’s later dominance of the series. The biggest drivers of the day raced in Can-Am, and next month a 1966 McLaren M1B piloted in-period by Chris Amon, Peter Revson and Skip Barber will cross the auction stage in Florida, offered for sale for the first time since 2003. Both the M1A and the M1B were built with a steel tube frame (using both round and square tubing), clad in aluminum alloy body panels that were bonded and riveted to the frame, using the undertray and wheel wells as stressed components. While the M1B wasn’t any lighter than the earlier car, revisions to the frame delivered an assembly that McLaren claimed was 20 percent stiffer. On the outside, the M1B’s bodywork (designed by Michael Turner, in conjunction with Tyler Alexander and Robin Herd) did away with the M1A’s pointed nose and rounded rear fenders, but it was clear that the two cars came from the same point of origin. Originally, the M1B was intended to carry a 5-liter Traco-Oldsmobile V-8, but the first Can-Am races showed the lightweight aluminum engine lacked the power to go head-to-head with the cast iron Chevrolets. As a result, later M1Bs could be equipped with Ford or Chevrolet V-8s as well, and sensing the popularity of the chassis in the new Can-Am series, McLaren turned to Trojan to manufacture cars for the United States market. Sold as McLaren Elva Mark 2s here, a total of 28 cars were delivered to buyers. Chassis M1B 30-12 was sold new, with a Ford V-8, to Bill Kay, who envisioned a two-car team effort with himself and Peter Revson as teammates.
Size: 5538px × 3592px
Location: Silverstone Circuit, Towcester, Northamptonshire, NN12 8TN
Photo credit: © John Gaffen / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: -, 7, 1966, 2019, 5358cc, car, class, classic, driver, elva, group, hscc, international, john, m1b, mclaren, motosports, pits, purple, race, racer, rain, silverstone, sp3, spiers, spray, straight, thundersports, wet, white
