McLaren Can-Am cars to star at Goodwood tribute

The Bruce and Denny show, the subtitle which summed up McLaren Cars’ domination of the Canadian-American Challenge Cup series from 1967 to 1970, will be a huge draw at Goodwood’s Festival of Speed on June 23-25. Other early marque cars will join them in a fitting tribute to the lives of Kiwis Bruce McLaren and Denny Hulme, each of whom bagged two Can-Am titles.

At least three of the mighty orange Chevrolet-engined monsters are down to appear for the first time at a British event. Most attention will be attracted by the showstopping high-winged M8B recreated by Americans Chuck Haines and Tom Frederick, because none of the three originals from 1969 survive. Bruce’s 1967-title-winning M6A, from the pen of Robin Herd, will also be there.

The McLaren equipe’s superlative sportscar history will be traced from the Elva-produced M1A of 1965 (which Graham Hill raced the year before Can-Am’s birth) to the fateful M8D of 1970. Bruce was killed — ironically at Goodwood — when the prototype’s tail detached at the kink on the Lavant Straight, but the devastated team soldiered on to a fourth straight tide with Denny.

McLaren International, today’s ultra-successful Grand Prix team born out of the original, has long been an avid supporter of Lord March’s Festival, and will again run one of its contemporary Mercedes Benz V10-powered Formula One cars in the hillclimb competition. The Silver Arrow will contrast poignantly with the M7A in which Bruce scored the marque’s maiden Grand Prix win at Spa in ’68.

The best ever F1 line-up promises fireworks. Jaguar, BMW-Williams and Jordan have all pledged to bring cars in an effort to challenge McLaren’s record set by Nick Heidfeld last year. MP