SUBSCRIBE TO THE
MAGAZINE NOW
Facebook-f Instagram

Easy listening: 1970 McLaren F5000 M10B start up

19 July, 2017

Bruce McLaren knew a thing or two about hill climbing and the first event the then 15-year- old Bruce ever competed in was a hill climb. Bruce won his class on the shingle slope, and his destiny was set.

Fast forward to the mid 1960s, and a short run of cars built specially for hill climbing and sprints. David Good purchased one of those hill climb specials — McLaren’s new M10B — which was essentially the same as the 1969 title-winning M10A, but with the key tweaks being redesigned suspension, a slightly restyled body, a new radiator, and modification to accept a dry sump engine installation. Good never let having no right arm dissuade from getting involved in sporting activities, either, however, he was never able to get a licence to race cars — the next best thing then was to head for the hills. Good had his McLaren fitted with a 5.5-litre Chev pumping out some 335kW at 6000rpm. The cockpit was modified because its pilot needed to sit close to the wheel — and, uniquely, the car had a much- modified gear linkage so that Good could change gear. The hole for the shaft on the left-hand side of car (the McLaren, like most racing cars, being a right-hand change) remains. Good was fourth in the championship after one ‘fastest time of the day’ (FTD), a second and a pair of thirds.

Today the car resides in New Zealand, owned by David and Katya Mitchell. The Mitchells had it shipped to New Zealand in May 2014, and it appeared at the Gulf Oil Howden Ganley Festival at Hampton Downs in January 2015. David will compete in Formula Libre races in the coming season, and intends to retain the treaded tyres rather than make a move to slicks.

The next issue of NZ Classic Car will include a full feature on the 1970 McLaren F5000 M10B, but for now, enjoy the beautiful sound of this historical piece of machinery firing into life in its makers own workshop 57 years later:

Last Tango in the Fast Lane

30 April, 2026

In the mid ’80s, I locked into a serious Nissan/Datsun performance obsession. It could have kicked off with my ’82 Datsun Sunny, though this would have been a bit of a stretch of the imagination, given its normally aspirated 1.2-litre motor — not the sort of thing to unleash radical road warrior dreams. But it did plant a seed, and it was a sweet little machine and surprisingly quick, in contrast to all the diabolical English offerings I had endured.
I was living in South Auckland at the time and was an unrepentant petrolhead. Motor racing was my drug of choice, and I followed the scene slavishly. Saloon car racing, with the arrival of the international Group A formula, was having a serious renaissance here and in Australia and Europe. There was suddenly an exotic air in local racing that had been absent for 15 years.
I was transfixed by this new frontier of motor racing that had hit our tracks in 1985–87 and the new array of machinery on display. In 1986, the Nissan Skyline RS DR30 made a blinding impression on me. The Australian Fred Gibson-run, Peter Jackson-sponsored team of George Fury and Glenn Seton were the fastest crew of the 1986 Australian Touring Car Championship. But Kiwi legend Robbie Francevic snuck through to win the Aussie Championship in his Volvo 240T after a strong start and consistent finishes.

NZ Classic Car magazine, May/June 2026 issue 405, on sale now

26 April, 2026

Reincarnation of the snake
We are captivated by a top-quality sports car
The Shelby NZ build team at Matamata Panelworks has endured a long and challenging journey, culminating with the highly anticipated public unveiling of the 427SC and firing up of its sonorous V8 at the 2026 Ayrburn Classic Festival of Motoring in Queenstown on February 20. This is a New Zealand-built car with loads of character and potential.
The car is now back in Matamata, and I finally have an opportunity to get up close and personal with it. But before then, the question that must be asked is, “Why would ya?”
The first answer is easy, as mentioned in the last issue of New Zealand Classic Car (#404). It was a great way to use up all the surplus Mustang parts acquired while converting brand-new Mustangs into Shelbys. The unused new Mustang parts would be great in any kit car, but the 427SC in front of me cannot be classified as one.
This is not a kit car. The reality is that it is a high-quality, factory-made production car.
Possibly the second answer is because the CEO of Matamata Panelworks, Malcolm Sankey, wanted to build a replica of the car that is a distant relation to the Shelby Mustangs scattered around his showroom floor, a car created long before the first Mustang was even thought of, and the brainchild of Carroll Shelby back in the early ‘60s.