Here's What We Love About The 1969 McLaren M6 GT

Few people are aware that F1 driver Bruce McLaren was the driver of the winning Ford GT40. His experience convinced McLaren at Le Mans that a heavy-duty racing vehicle like the Ford GT40 might produce a great road car. McLaren fulfilled his idea three years later in the 1969 Mclaren M6 GT.

The M6 GT concept by Bruce McLaren is the foundation for all McLaren road cars. Thanks to the latest racing technology, the M6 GT was superlight, blisteringly fast, confidence-inspiring, and safe.

McLaren's original plans in 1969 were to participate in the Group 4 GT competition, which included Ferrari, Porsche, and Alfa Romeo. McLaren needed to develop a coupe body adapted for endurance racing since the M6A chassis was already out there and had won McLaren a crucial Can-Am championship.

In early 1969, it debuted on the stage at the London Auto Show. Shortly after, McLaren sold the M6 GT to privateer racer David Prophet, realizing that Group 4 racing was not in the cards for the vehicle.

Let’s take a closer look at the 1969 McLaren M6 GT

How The M6 GT Came To Be

The McLaren M6 GT has its roots in the Can-Am series' golden era when McLaren was almost unbeatable with cars like the M1B and M6A. It all started with the McLaren M6A racing car that Bruce McLaren and his team constructed for the 1967 Can-Am season.

The M6A was McLaren's first monocoque chassis, and it formed an essential part of the company's design concept. It would eventually serve as the foundation for the M6 GT.

The M6A, backed by a Chevrolet V8 engine, would go on to dominate the season, sporting an intense McLaren Orange livery that would become synonymous with Bruce McLaren and the McLaren brand.

The road to the eventual development of the McLaren M6 GT began even before the glory days of the M6A, well at least on paper, since Bruce McLaren had long sought to design a mid-engine racing car based on his Can-Am experiences.

The plan was to make the M6 GT the world's fastest vehicle of its kind, then race it in Group 4 of the World Sportscar Championship against big names like Ferrari and Porsche. The M6 GT would utilize the same engine as the M6A, but Bruce McLaren did allow the possibility for a 7-liter Ford unit to be installed.

McLaren had to satisfy new FIA requirements for admission into the championship that year; one of the requirements is that a minimum of 50 production examples was needed for entrance even though they could not meet such requirements.

The Mclaren team quickly shelved the M6 GT project. However, McLaren and Trojan-Tauranac produced a few prototypes. Mclaren would later convert two of these automobiles into road-legal versions, one of which would be Bruce McLaren's private vehicle.

The Design Of The M6 GT

The M6 GT had rear-wheel drive, a mid-engine layout, and a two-door coupé body style. It has a 5.7L Chevrolet LT1 engine modified by Bartz that generates 370 horsepower at 5,800 rpm and 370 lb-ft of torque at 4,000 rpm. The power is sent to the driving wheels through a 5-speed manual gearbox. The maximum speed reported is 266 km/h (165 mph).

The M6 GT is a street-legal variant of the M6A racer. The coupe body is mainly fiberglass, with the aluminum monocoque from the racing vehicle being used underneath. As a result, it was very light, weighing just over 800 kg, and helped pave the way for the vehicle's intended driving qualities. Butterfly doors and manually operated pop-up headlights were available as options on specific models.

A Personal Road Vehicle

Every McLaren road car we see now can be traced back to the M6 GT. Bruce McLaren did not let the lack of homologation deter him from lawfully having an M6 GT on the road. Even though the vehicle's true destiny is to conquer the world's circuits, it might be faster than anything else with a license plate.

The M6 GT's cabin is cramped and lacks any sense of use or practicality. However, its most notable feature is the Bartz-tuned Chevrolet engine, which can reach a top speed of 165 mph.

After Bruce McLaren's tragic death in June 1970, the M6 GT was never mass-produced. Only four M6 GTs were ever produced, two in red, one in yellow, and the last in McLaren Orange.

The Legacy Still Lives On

The M6 GT has been displayed at some car shows, most recently at McLaren Newport Beach in California. It's now available for sale for just £250,000. To be honest, the price seems a bit low, especially considering the vehicle's significance to McLaren.

After Bruce McLaren's death, his dream of creating a road-going sports car that could compete in a production series was put on hold for good. Gordon Murray's magnificent McLaren F1 would ultimately bring McLaren's road vehicle ambitions to fruition. That vehicle, as well as all subsequent McLaren road vehicles, owe their existence to the M6 GT.