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:

To finish first, first, you must build a winner

Can-Am royalty
Only three M20s were built, including the car that was destroyed at Road Atlanta. This car was later rebuilt. All three cars were sold at the end of the 1972 season. One of the cars would score another Can-Am victory in 1974, driven by a privateer, but the M20’s day was done. Can-Am racing faded away at the end of that season and was replaced by Formula 5000.
These days the cars are valued in the millions. It was unlikely that I would ever have seen one in the flesh if it hadn’t been that one day my editor asked me if I would mind popping over to Taranaki and having a look at a pretty McLaren M20 that somebody had built in their shed.
That is how I came to be standing by the car owned and built by truck driver Leon Macdonald.

Lunch with … Roly Levis

Lunching was not allowed during Covid 19 Lockdowns so our correspondent recalled a lunch he had with legendary New Zealand racing driver Rollo Athol Levis shortly before he died on 1 October 2013 at the age of 88. Michael Clark caught up with Roly and members of his family over vegetable soup