McLaren M8
The McLaren M8 was a CanAm - prototype , which in 1968 Bruce McLaren Motor Racing was built. In various configurations, the M8 was the defining racing car of this racing series until 1971.
In 1967 McLaren began designing the M8, which was to replace the very successful M6 in the CanAm series. Like the M6, the M8 had a monocoque in the shape of a bathtub, but was 10 cm wider than the previous model. The monocoque consisted of aluminum bonded with magnesium and riveted steel bulkheads. The motor was integrated into the tubular frame as a load-bearing element. The 7-liter engine came from Chevrolet and developed 620 hp. To bring the performance to the road, 15-inch Goodyear tires were fitted to the rear. Shifting was done with a LG600 transmission from Hewland .
In 1968 the first M8 came to the North American racetracks as the M8A . Even at the first race at Elkhart Lake, Denis Hulme had an overwhelming victory that ushered in a long series of successes for the prototype. Hulme and team owner Bruce McLaren won at will with the M8. Only the M6s used by Penske Racing and driven by Peter Revson and Mark Donohue could keep up to some extent. At the end of the year Hulme won the championship.
In 1969 the B version came with a revised body and a new rear wing. The engine now developed 630 hp (463 kW). In order to give the competitors a chance of winning the season, CanAm officials increased the number of races this season from six to eleven. Still, the Bruce and Denny Show came back , with six wins for Bruce McLaren, who won the championship, and five wins for Denis Hulme. In the same year, an M8C was also introduced, marketed by the British car manufacturer Trojan and sold to wealthy private drivers.
In 1970 the D version appeared as a new works car. In winter and spring, the car, which was thoroughly revised again, was extensively tested. During the season, too, there were repeated test drives. Bruce McLaren had a fatal accident on June 2, 1970 in Goodwood during one of these trips . The rear paneling of the vehicle had been torn off as a result of the high contact pressure, the car hit a wall at 200 km / h, Bruce McLaren was thrown out and died at the scene of the accident.
Until 1972, the M8 remained the measure of all things in the CanAm series. In 1970 Denny Hulme won the championship again and a year later Peter Revson secured the title in the M8F . It was only George Follmer who ended one of the longest series of victories in motorsport with the Porsche 917/10 in 1972.
In addition to the CanAm, the vehicles in Europe were used in the Interseries , which were manufactured and sold by Trojan. In addition to the V8 engine from Chevrolet with a displacement of up to 8.3 liters, which is also commonly installed in Europe, an M8F was equipped with a 6.8-liter turbo engine from Mercedes-Benz in 1972 . The car registered by AMG was to take part in several Interseries championship races with Hans Heyer . After two engine failures in both races over the weekend in Imola , the project was canceled.
