Talk Morgan Forums Community The Malvern Arms 50 years since Bruce Mclaren died

I notice that yesterday was 50 years since his last drive testing at Goodwood, he certainly achieved a lot and left quite a legacy for a short lifespan, like the wonderful driver from Chirnside they packed a lot into their 32 years.

In deed, and they as a team are on the way back. Only 1 month to wait for the start of the season and boy wont that be boring with no spectators and presumably no live tele.

Have just returned from our first ‘Wednesday Wander’ since the lockdown. Things are starting to free up considerably as New Zealand hasn’t had a new Covid 19 case for about 20 days now. Our Wednesday Wanders are organised by Club Lotus and Austin Healey folk here in Auckland, NZ and today we had our Morgan, a Caterham 7, 3 big Healeys, a Lotus Evora, and a TVR to name a few. Jan McLaren (Bruce’s sister) was there with her husband in their Healey 3000. It was a good 125 mile round trip to view ‘the Huntley expressway by-pass’ and to enjoy some fellowship in a cafe beside the Waikato river. We are privileged to have this special connection to Bruce McLaren.

My personal favourite McLaren .....5.7 litre M12 ..... road registered in period ..... owner drove it 200 miles to the Shelsley Walsh Hillclimb, chucked it up the hill all weekend then loaded his tools into the 'passenger' space and drove it home again ....must have been a sight to be overtaken by it on the M25 with those great open bellmouths sucking in pigeons and unattended children ..... he has a fine head of hair and when he arrived at the track it was all stuck out the back of his head in a cartoon-like comet tail, so I guess he doesn't hang about!




K

At Goodwood revival 2015 I think, Amanda McLaren Bruce's daughter drove an M6 GT road car with exactly the same registration as this ? What year is this photo from?

Waikiore ...

Took the pic at a meeting I was competing at in 2014 .... K

Ps ...this car is a regular competitor at UK hillclimbs and I was told drives to meetings so I presume the reg number meets the requirements of the authorities. It an odd one .... I believe the M6 is now owned in the States ....possibly the number was transferred ..... it could be the UK number on that car is used for 'display' rather than still being a legal road number in the UK ....not a clue

Interesting Keith , I imagine it would be hard to drive that beast slowly down the road , I always think that you are lucky in the UK that so many wonderful old and competition cars are able to be driven legally on the queens highway, wouldn't happen here - at least not in the north island.
Having only sat in a stationary one they are quite an imposing machine and when the later ones with the 8 plus litre engines fire up everybody nearby feels the earth move.
Cheers Murray

Waikiore .... found a pic on the web someone took of him driving home ..... really wouldn't fancy that in a traffic jam !!





K

All power to that man , oh he already has it

If you were in the car behind all those part burnt VOC's would be as dangerous as glue sniffing