The fastest kiwis in the world

"Bruce McLaren and Denny Hulme won the Can-Am races so often that people spoke of 'The Bruce and Denny show'.

BRUCE MCLAREN, DENNY HULME AND THE MCLAREN M8F

"I DROVE IT AS HARD AS IT COULD GO" - Bruce Mclaren

Bruce McLaren

Bruce McLaren was a designer and racing driver from New Zealand and the founder of one of the most successful motorsport teams ever: the McLaren Formula 1 team. Through Jack Brabham he got the opportunity to join as a driver in his Cooper Formula 2 team. After taking first place at the German Grand Prix in 1958, he was promoted to Formula 1. At 22 years old, he was up to then the youngest Formula 1 driver ever. Despite his successful career, he wanted his own team and developed a very promising chassis for it. But it was only after Cosworth came on board with Ford engines that the first successes were achieved.

Denny Hulme

This was also the moment when Denny Hulme came in to strengthen the team. This tough New Zealander soon made McLaren his home, racing as two kiwis against the rest of the world. Alongside Formula 1, Bruce and Denny also took part in the Can-Am races. These hugely popular Canadian-American races quickly became known as The Bruce and Denny show. The phrase was a favorite headline for newspaper reporters of the time. Together, Bruce and Denny won every race in the 1969 season in their huge orange Group 7 sports racing cars. Bruce McLaren became Can-Am champion in 1967 and 1969, and Denny Hulme in 1968 and 1970. Over a period of 5 years they managed to rack up 38 race wins between them, an unprecedented achievement that has never been surpassed.

Fate

On 2 June 1970, fate struck for Bruce McLaren. While testing a Can-Am car at the Goodwood Circuit in England, the car spun off the track and crashed at high speed into a concrete platform. Bruce McLaren was killed in the accident. Denny Hulme remained loyal to McLaren until the end of his career and retired in 1974. However, 18 years later Denny would die at the wheel of a BMW touring car during a race in Bathurst.

The ultimate McLaren Can-Am M8F

The M8F is part of the most successful and most extreme Can-Am race cars from the McLaren M8 series. The sharp, aerodynamic edges along the sides are characteristic of this exceptionally wide car, built specifically for the almost limitless Can-Am series. The car is equipped with an 8.1-liter Chevrolet V8 producing nearly 750 hp. It is the most important model in a series of virtually unbeatable race cars that, in the hands of driver, constructor and team owner Bruce McLaren and his teammate Denny Hulme, dominated Can-Am in the late 1960s. Over four seasons with the M8 range, McLaren won 31 races.