How the M8B became the most dominant car in McLaren’s history

The car pictured here is chassis M8B/2, which was used by Bruce McLaren in 10 Can-Am races in 1969, taking five wins before being crashed at Riverside. It was later raced by Oscar Koveleski in 1970 and early 1971, then Tony Adamowicz (both for Auto World), then Warren Agor in 1972. Mark Waco did the 1972 Laguna Seca round in it before it was sold to Don Smith.

Acquired by Mouse Motors in 2018 and subsequently restored to 1969 specification by McLaren’s Heritage department, with the help of Gordon Coppuck and Hughie Absalom, it won the Best of Show Concours de Sport at the Amelia Island Concours event in Florida this year.

“The most difficult thing was realising how few drawings from 1969 there are,” says Absalom of the restoration. “Fortunately, I could remember some of the stuff and we looked at photos from the time.”

The body was remanufactured using moulds reverse-engineered from original bodywork, while the engine build was carried out by McLaren Engineering. McLaren-sanctioned manufacturing of fresh Reynolds engine blocks formed part of the restoration efforts, which also utilised the original bulkheads and internal skins, plus the original gearbox and cockpit fittings, including the steering wheel. It is the only surviving original M8B.

The steering wheel is one of many original parts on M8B/2 after its rebuild

Photo by: Mouse Motors

Winning all but one race of a championship is undoubtedly impressive, but going unbeaten across a whole season is something else. McLaren’s MP4/4 famously took 15 wins from 16 races in the1988 Formula 1 world championship and yet it is not the most dominant car in the team’s history.

McLaren was already the Canadian-American Challenge Cup benchmark at the start of the 1969 season. Founder Bruce McLaren and 1967 F1 world champion Denny Hulme had each taken a title and won nine races from 12 rounds between them across 1967-68. But the 1969 M8B from the Colnbrook works took things to another level.

Chaparral had brought high rear wings into Can-Am as early as 1966 – before such devices appeared in F1 – though many teams discarded the idea after trying it. For 1969, McLaren mounted a high wing to the rear suspension. Engineer Gary Knutson returned after two years with Chaparral, while the seven-litre aluminium alloy Chevrolet V8 engines were looked after by George Bolthoff and produced 630-640bhp.

“It was an evolution of the two years previous and we had a good, sound engineering platform. We were a lot more professional than the opposition and of course we had good drivers” Hughie Absalom

The M8B was closely related to the successful M8A designed by Bruce McLaren, Jo Marquart and Gordon Coppuck, with bodywork and aero tweaks, plus wider wheels, and there was support from Goodyear, Reynolds Aluminum, Gulf Oil and Bosch. Spurred on by a perceived threat from a new Chaparral, McLaren’s meticulous preparation and testing, often at Goodwood and using Hulme’s M8A as the starting point, put it well ahead of its rivals.

“It was an evolution of the two years previous and we had a good, sound engineering platform,” recalls Hughie Absalom, who joined McLaren in 1969 and helped build the Can-Am cars before focusing on Indycar. “We were a lot more professional than the opposition and of course we had good drivers.”

John Bolster revealed the level of preparation in the 30 May 1969 issue of Autosport while writing about the engines: “To achieve reliability, every component is examined and tested exhaustively. For example, each connecting rod is hardness tested on receipt, which means scrapping 5-10% of them, and then magnafluxed, which entails the loss of another 5-10%. It is then polished, shot peened and straightened, every other component, including nuts and bolts, having to undergo a similar series of tests and treatments.”

M8B was a logical evolution of its winning predecessor, complete with big rear wing

Photo by: Mouse Motors

Despite various (and varying) efforts from Ferrari, Porsche, Ford and Chaparral – which ran both the radical 2H and customer McLaren M12 (essentially an M6B with M8A-style body) during 1969 – the M8B was head and shoulders above the field. It also coincided with an expanded calendar for Can-Am’s fourth season, with 11 rounds instead of six.

The opening contest was at Mosport and Autosport’s Pete Lyons described the M8B as “a very knowledgeably refined version of last year’s car, actually the old bulkheads reskinned, with the same thinking in suspension, drivetrain and so on, and subtle alterations to the aerodynamics”. It’s interesting to note that Lyons described the addition of a massive, high rear wing as “subtle”!

The race, which started on a damp but drying track, gave a false impression that McLaren might face a tough challenge in 1969. Bruce McLaren took pole from Hulme, but John Surtees, in Chaparral’s M12, took the fight to the orange cars early on and grabbed the lead.

When Surtees saw his temperatures rising he backed off, but Dan Gurney in his own ‘McLeagle’ (a modified M6B with 5.5-litre Ford engine) took up the cudgels. He exchanged the lead with Bruce McLaren until, shortly after half-distance, Gurney was forced to retire with a right-rear upright casting breaking up. The M8Bs eased off and swapped places a few times before McLaren took the flag, less than a second ahead of Hulme in a 1-2. Only Surtees finished on the same lap.

High wings had by now been banned in F1 and McLaren had 1968 bodywork ready in case Can-Am followed suit – covering all the bases – but that restriction wouldn’t come until 1970. 

The team’s true advantage began to emerge at Mont-Tremblant. Polesitter Bruce was 2.9s faster than the best non-M8B in practice and then ‘diced’ with Surtees while Hulme recovered from a poor getaway. Lyons described Surtees as driving “right on the ragged edge” and pointed out that the McLarens could lap in the 1m33s whereas their rival’s best was a 1m35.9s.

The Bruce and Denny Show reached its peak in 1969

Photo by: Bernard Cahier / Getty Images

Bruce would later admit to putting on a show, something he regretted after accidentally hitting Surtees under yellows. Surtees was eventually black-flagged when his bodywork broke up, while McLaren easily recovered to second behind Hulme after pitting for repairs.

McLaren had a spare car ready for Watkins Glen, where Chris Amon appeared with Ferrari’s 6.2-litre V12-engined contender. “The days of easy money for Team McLaren are over, and they are as relieved and happy about it as anyone,” wrote Lyons, but that proved optimistic.

The Bruce and Denny Show continued, the duo pulling clear of the pack, which included runners from the previous day’s world sportscar championship round, as Amon battled Surtees for third. Hulme dutifully followed the boss home and, despite being circumspect in traffic, the orange cars were 30s clear of the Ferrari at the flag.

The M8B’s lap times around the United States Grand Prix venue demonstrated that it was probably then the fastest road-racing car in the world

The M8B’s lap times around the United States Grand Prix venue demonstrated that it was probably then the fastest road-racing car in the world. Bruce’s pole time was 1m02.21s, while Hulme (invariably stronger in race conditions) recorded a 1m02.6s in the race. At the 1969 US GP three months later, Jochen Rindt’s Lotus 49B would take pole with 1m03.62s and set race fastest lap on 1m04.34s, while the following year Jacky Ickx’s Ferrari 312B managed 1m03.07s for pole and 1m02.74s in the race on his way to fourth.

Perhaps the closest McLaren came to losing was in round four at Edmonton. Hulme was once again slow away and Amon battled McLaren before the M8B suffered a rare engine failure. Hulme’s final winning margin over the Ferrari was only 4.9s after two hours, but the fact that he was able to pull nearly 1s per lap out of his fellow New Zealander after Bruce’s retirement perhaps gives the game away. Chaparral now had its radical 2H, but Surtees was not a fan and he trailed home fourth.

Grand prix winner Jo Siffert appeared for Mid-Ohio in a Porsche 917 PA, as did Mark Donohue in Penske’s Lola T163. It made no difference. The McLarens drove away, at one point Hulme being half a minute clear of Bruce, who was a similar distance ahead of Amon’s 612P. McLaren’s oil pump seized and he pitted, but Hulme lapped Amon and Bruce was still able to struggle home in second.

Team founder Bruce took six wins during 1969, five of them scored with this car

Photo by: Mouse Motors

Ferrari had a high wing for Road America, Penske withdrew its Can-Am effort because it was “too ambitious for our present organisation”, while Mario Andretti had a Holman & Moody-run M6B with massive 8.1-litre Ford engine. But the more the opposition tried, the more McLaren impressed.

Andretti qualified third but he was 2.1s slower than polesitter Hulme and the problematic car failed to start the race anyway. Hulme and McLaren led, with Amon quickly coming through to third. The McLarens played again, the giveaway this time being their 175mph speed trap figures versus the Ferrari’s 160mph. Hulme seemed happy to drop to third for a bit, then powered back into second and got back to McLaren. Hulme set the best lap and took the lead before McLaren went back ahead again. 

It was more demonstration than battle. The McLarens finished together, “Hulme scarcely an inch behind McLaren just to show he could have won, but after all it had been the Boss’s birthday the day before,” wrote Lyons. “This is getting to be a bore. But you cannot blame a team for doing it right.”

This was the famous event at which the team packed up and went water skiing instead of completing Saturday practice. They still started 1-2 and finished there

Surtees was back in Chaparral’s M12 as Bridgehampton hosted round seven. McLaren continued to push, experimenting with F1-style softer Goodyear tyres. This was the famous event at which the team packed up and went water skiing instead of completing Saturday practice. They still started 1-2 and finished there, this time McLaren waving Hulme through to win by a tenth, with Siffert third a minute behind.

Perhaps no event better demonstrated McLaren’s superiority than Michigan. During the course of 1969, the team had a spare M8B on hand – it only built three – at a time when some teams struggled to sort a spare engine. It was the envy of the paddock. At round eight, Gurney – his own ‘McLeagle’ having again failed – was handed the third M8B. 

The tall American started at the back of the 27-car field and, despite limited experience of the car, shot through to third. Gurney then caught McLaren and Hulme, who had already swapped positions, to join the orange (‘papaya rules’ were still some years away) parade. McLaren duly led the trio across the line, less than 1.5s covering the McLarens, while fourth-placed Siffert finished a lap down. Rarely in the history of motorsport has one car and team been so crushingly superior.

McLaren (4) and Hulme lead the pack, as usual, at Laguna Seca. They will finish 1-2

Photo by: David Phipps / Sutton Images via Getty Images

The same thing might have happened at Laguna Seca, Amon getting the spare car after the Ferrari failed in practice. He started at the back, stopped to replace a body panel after being struck by a tyre marker thrown up by the 917, and had reached sixth when forced to retire with a deteriorating differential. It seems that even the M8B wasn’t quite enough to overcome the Kiwi’s infamous misfortune! Nevertheless, up front, it was Bruce’s turn to win from Hulme.

Concerns that McLaren’s supremacy would put fans off seemed to be unfounded and an estimated 80,000 turned out to watch at Riverside. Indeed, in the Car and Driver annual, Ferrari team manager Bill Gavin would write: “Their invincibility brought the McLaren team into the headlines and brought Can-Am racing more publicity than ever.”

Come the race, Bruce suffered a scary crash when the rear suspension broke on M8B/2 while Hulme motored on to victory. He was a lap clear of Chuck Parsons’s Lola, with Andretti’s monster Ford-engined McLaren third.

The Riverside result meant that Hulme and McLaren headed to the Texas finale with five wins apiece, Hulme ahead on points thanks to five second places to Bruce’s three runner-up spots. The team plan was for McLaren – now driving the spare car, M8A/2 – to win the race, with Hulme second.

Bruce suffered transmission and fuel system issues during practice and so, for the first time in 1969, the team didn’t start 1-2. Andretti split them, though he was still a second behind Hulme.

Andretti led the first four laps before being overwhelmed by Hulme and the American then retired with engine failure, as did Amon’s Ferrari. Sticking to the plan, Hulme backed off with a big lead to let McLaren ahead. All was going to schedule until Hulme’s engine failed with 11 laps to go. It was his first retirement of the season and McLaren took an unexpected win and second Can-Am crown.

Texas, November 1969: Bruce takes victory and title in his final Can-Am race

Photo by: Bernard Cahier / Getty Images

“We had quite an easy time of it, and the series wasn’t really something you could get your teeth into, reckoned Bruce in Doug Nye’s McLaren: The Grand Prix, Can-Am and Indy Cars. “In practice Denny and I would occasionally have a go and get quite fast, but in most of the races we were gone after six laps and there was no one in sight.”

The M8B’s final tally – in works hands – was 11 poles from 11 outings, with eight 1-2s. The M8B’s advantage in practice was never less than 1s. Its average qualifying gap over the rest was 2.1s; the legendary MP4/4, with Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost driving, managed a 1.1s average advantage in 1988. 

During an era in which reliability was poor, the M8Bs racked up impressive mileage. A January 1970 article in Motor Racing reckoned McLaren used only eight engines in 1969 and suffered four failures. The torquey motors were a key part in the car’s success, Bruce reckoning that “the Chevy enabled us to keep our hands away from the gear lever and concentrate on other problems in a corner”.

“All we’ve been doing is getting on with the job of going racing. We’re not doing it more efficiently or scientifically or any better than it should be done” Bruce McLaren

In the same Motor Racing article, which estimated that the McLaren team trucks had covered 30,000 miles during 1969, Bruce added: “At times I’m lost for an answer when people ask me questions about dominating the Can-Am. But you know, it isn’t really for us to answer such questions. All we’ve been doing is getting on with the job of going racing. We’re not doing it more efficiently or scientifically or any better than it should be done.

“After all, we provided virtually the same amount of effort with basically the same bunch of people in Formula 1 and only pulled off one grand prix win in 1969.”

It was an attitude echoed by then-road manager and McLaren shareholder Teddy Mayer, who told Eoin Young in the 22 January 1970 issue of Autosport that “our competitors have done a lousy job”. He also said “we benefited from our F1 wing development”, before admitting: “In order to prevent them from needlessly racing with each other, we did agree that they would take turns at winning if both cars were running properly and well ahead of the field.”

Seven-litre aluminium alloy Chevrolet V8 engines produced 630-640bhp

Photo by: Mouse Motors

“It is unlikely that the Bruce and Denny Show will ever happen in quite the same way again,” concluded Lyons in his race report of the 1969 finale. Poignantly, he was more right than he could possibly have known. Texas would be Bruce’s last Can-Am start – his death testing the M8D at Goodwood would come 12 days prior to the 1970 opener.

The M8B was the end of an era in more ways than one. High wings would be banned for 1970, which contributed to many of the car’s lap records standing for a while. Some of the M8B’s 1969 qualifying times would have kept it near the front even during the McLaren-Lola battles of 1971. And Hulme never seemed quite as happy with subsequent Can-Am McLarens despite their continuing success.

Mayer later described the M8B as “probably the most effective race car we ever built”. Given he oversaw the Indianapolis 500-winning M16 and the F1 title-clinching M23, that’s quite something.

McLaren’s1971 M8F would go on to win nine Can-Am races and the turbocharged 917/10 that ended McLaren’s reign ultimately racked up eight victories, but the M8B will forever be the most successful, ‘perfect’, car of Can-Am’s first, no-holds-barred era. 

Our thanks to Mouse Motors and Michael Marzano

This article is one of many in the monthly Autosport magazine. For more premium content, take a look at the October 2026 issue and subscribe today.

Eventual ban on high wings meant that the M8B’s lap records stood for years

Photo by: Mouse Motors