Great Read: Is this McLaren's greatest racing car?

Car that made McLaren | View in browser FROM OUR ARCHIVE, MARCH 2016 | SIMON TAYLOR Great Read: Being Bruce McLaren – driving the McLaren M6A Bruce McLaren was tragically killed on this day in 1970, testing a new Can-Am car. Despite that premature end to a brilliant life, there's no doubting that Can-Am was perhaps the category that made McLaren. Fifty years on from its first title, Motor Sport was privileged to test the very car that carried the team's founder to that landmark success: M6A-1 So here it sits. McLaren M6A-1. Not McLaren's first effort at building a sports car, nor even its first Can-Am car – that particular honour fell to the M1B – but the M6A, this M6A, is where one of motor sport's greatest success stories began. If you're a fan of the orange cars, and Bruce McLaren in particular, this is the Holy Grail. We're gathered in garage 36 at Donington Park, sheltering from some decidedly grotty 'summer' weather. Regular attendees at Donington's mid-week test days will know this box (closest to pit exit) is the unofficial annexe of race preparer Hall & Hall. They've invariably got something wonderful to test or shake down, but today is extra special. For today we drive McLaren's first Can-Am championship winner. Fifty years, one month and one day after it first turned a wheel... READ MORE PHOTO: MOTOR SPORT 100 YEARS OF LE MANS | PAUL FEARNLEY 'It was our last shot': how Aston Martin snatched its only Le Mans win       By Aston Martin 1959, Aston Martin had impressed at Le Mans, but never won overall. "David [Brown] had made it very clear that this was possibly our last shot at it," said chief designer Ted Cutting. "Not his last shot, you understand — ours." READ MORE LE MANS | GARY WATKINS Sandbagging is back as WEC tries to force a level Le Mans playing field   Disputes over the Balance of Performance system may cause sandbagging to return to the WEC - throwing a shroud of doubt over the competitive order at Le Mans READ MORE SHOP PROMOTION Bestsellers: Motor Sport shop Twice around the clock | Le Mans 100th Anniversary | Motor Sport Magazine | Collectors' Edition Mika Häkkinen | McLaren MP4/13 |1998 | Signed by Design Engineer Matthew Jeffreys The World's Greatest Race | Motor Sport Magazine | Collector's Edition Bookazine 'Volcano' | McLaren F1 – 1995 | Jean-Yves Tabourot | Acrylic on canvas Keke Rosberg 1982 | Replica Formula 1 Helmet | Williams F1 McLaren F1 GTR | 24H Le Mans | 100th Anniversary - 1995 Poster Share this newsletter: Stay up to date  Update your preferences to select the content you wish to receive.   UPDATE NOW  Unsubscribe | Privacy Policy. Motor Sport magazine, 18-20 Rosemont Road, London, NW3 6NE Company no. 05471049, Vat no. 871 544 60