Bruce McLaren was only 32 years old when he died on a test track in England on June 2, 1970.
From our perspective, now 50 years later, it may seem hard to believe that someone so relatively young, could have such a significant impact on the automobile industry.
Only McLaren’s family and close friends are qualified to describe just what McLaren was like as a person, but auto racing fans and car aficionados have, over the last half-century, built up something of a myth around the man. And for them, Bruce McLaren represented some of the automobile industry’s best and most important traits.
Ingenuity
Although McLaren was a celebrated race car driver, some might argue that his greatest success was as a race car constructor or builder.
“In the early days of McLaren sports cars, McLaren was testing and as he drove out of the pits, he noticed the fuel filler access door was flapping up and down as he drove,” a Wikipedia article reported.
“The current aerodynamic thinking was that it should have been pressed more firmly in place as the speed of the car increased. Instead, it bounced more vigorously as the speed increased. Instantly, his frustration at the sloppy work changed and he had an insight. Stopping in the pits, he grabbed a pair of shears and started cutting the bodywork away behind the radiator. Climbing back in the car, he immediately began turning lap times faster than before.”
“I was first angry that the filler door hadn’t been properly closed,” McLaren explained, “but then I began to wonder why it wasn’t being pressed down by the airflow. The only answer was that there had to be a source of higher pressure air under it than over it.”
This single insight changed the design of McLaren’s cars, producing what some called nostrils, which lead to much better airflow. It was a single and well-known example of McLaren’s ingenuity.
Ingenuity has been vital in the automotive industry. It is, perhaps, ingenuity that started the industry. And it is ingenuity that fuels the industry’s insatiable appetite for innovation and improvement.
Resilience
“Bruce’s driving had a tenacity to it, and he exhibited an almost voracious appetite for pressure, his most memorable results coming with his back against the wall,” wrote Stephen Dobie in an article commemorating the 50th anniversary of McLaren’s death.
“Relegation down the grid by mechanical issue or the petty decree of the stewards was the kick up the arse that led to numerous podiums. His taste for victory against adversity seemed rooted in his medical struggles as a child; fears ‘he may never walk again’ quickly gave way to a glittering racing career in some of the most physically tough cars to drive. He was slight, at five foot five, with one leg shorter than the other. But so long as the pedal box was adjusted to suit, it never once got in his way.”
McLaren was not the sort to give up. He was resilient, and resilience is yet another of the automotive industry’s best traits. Throughout its history war, weather, and even pandemics have not been able to stop the automotive industry and improving and growing. In fact, the pressure, if you will, probably makes the industry better.
Adventure
McLaren was a race car driver after all. He most certainly exhibited a love of adventure, thrill, and speed.
Adventure is a big part of the car business. You might not think about it when you’re shopping for a minivan or even an SUV to haul the family around town, but your car or truck is really the gateway to your lifestyle.
It is the vehicle, in a very real sense, that takes you toward your life adventures.
If you are reading this on June 2 — or any time really — take a moment to remember one of the automotive industry’s legends, Bruce McLaren, because he represented some of the best things about the industry.