McLaren was founded by Bruce McLaren, a Kiwi who raced in Formula One with
, in 1963. He wanted to compete in the
, an Australian/New Zealand competition, but
, the owner of his team, decided to use a more conservative engine than what was allowed by the rules of that series. So Bruce McLaren instead decided to build his own cars based on Cooper chassis.
After initial success in the Tasman Series and
, where their primary rival was
, McLaren entered
in 1966. First participating in the
that year, the team, with the
car, failed to replicate its success in the Tasman Series. In 1968,
joined the team, and in the same year, the M7A car was introduced. It was powered by a
engine that McLaren used until 1983. This car went on to take the first wins for the team.
In 1970, Bruce McLaren died while testing the
Can-Am car, and
took control of the team, while McLaren's driving duties were taken over by
. After this, a series of unsuccessful races followed, with a win drought that lasted two years.
In
,
joined the team. He partnered Hulme in his swansong season. McLaren clinched their first Constructors' Championship this year, with
also winning the Drivers' Championship.
The famous 1976 season had James Hunt drive for McLaren. This season was best-known for its title fight, where Hunt's primary opponent was
. However, a serious crash meant that the latter was ruled out of two races. At the season finale, the
, Hunt finished in third place and managed to gain enough points to win the Drivers' Championship, but McLaren failed to win the Constructors' Championship. In 2013, this season was dramatised in the film "
", directed by
, considered by many to be one of the greatest adaptation of the sport.
