TheMcLaren M7A is aFormula One racing car built byMcLaren and used in the world championship between 1968 and 1971. After two relatively unsuccessful years of Formula One competition, the M7A was used to score McLaren's first win at the1968 Belgian Grand Prix.

McLaren M7A
McLaren M7B
McLaren M7C
McLaren M7D

Denny Hulme (1936–1992) in a McLaren M7A at the1968 United States Grand Prix
Category	Formula One
Constructor	McLaren
Designer(s)	Robin Herd Gordon Coppuck
Predecessor	McLaren M5A
Successor	McLaren M9A /McLaren M14A
Technical specifications
Chassis	Aluminium alloy andmagnesium alloymonocoque
Suspension (front)	Upper and lower top links,radius arms and outboardcoilover springs anddampers
Suspension (rear)	Lateral top links, twinradius arms, reversedwishbones and outboardcoilover springs anddampers
Engine	Ford-Cosworth DFV 2993ccV8naturally aspiratedMid-engine,longitudinally mounted
Transmission	Hewland DG300 5-speedmanual
Fuel	Shell (McLaren) Gulf (Anglo)
Tyres	Goodyear (McLaren) Dunlop (Anglo)
Competition history
Notable entrants	Bruce McLaren Motor Racing, Anglo American Racers
Notable drivers	Bruce McLaren Denny Hulme Dan Gurney (Anglo)
Debut	1968 Spanish Grand Prix
Races Wins Poles F/Laps 22 4 0 0
Constructors' Championships	0(Best: 2nd –1968)
Drivers' Championships	0

Designed byRobin Herd andGordon Coppuck, the M7A was the first McLaren to be powered by theCosworth DFV engine, which went on to be used by the team until 1983. The M7B was a development of the M7A (chassis M7A/3), and had outboard fuel tanks riveted to the existing bath-tub monocoque to house the fuel bags, along with wrap-over panel-work similar to the M10, thus creating an interim full-monocoque chassis. The M7C was effectively a Formula 5000 M10A chassis with the horn removed at the rear of the cockpit to enable the fitment of the DFV engine, whilst the M7D was powered by an Alfa-Romeo engine.

The M7A made its Grand Prix debut at the second race of the1968 world championship. After its victory in Belgium, it took another two wins that year, helping to place McLaren second in the Constructors' Championship.

Bruce McLaren Motor Racing was founded in 1963;^[1]Bruce McLaren was afactory driver for theCooper motor racing team which competed inFormula One, the highest level of internationalsingle-seater competition. Since 1966, McLaren and his team had been building and racing their own Formula One cars.^[2] Their first two seasons had been relatively unsuccessful, with six points scored (out of a potential 180^{[nb 1]}) and a best result of fourth.^[3][4] The lack of a suitable engine caused problems: the 1966M2B car's Ford and SerenissimaV8 engines both lacked power^[5][6] and the 1967M5A'sBritish Racing MotorsV12 did not arrive until mid-season.^[7]

In 1967Cosworth debuted theirDFV engine which was supplied exclusively to theLotus team. It was immediately successful, winning its first race, and in 1968 it became available for purchase by any manufacturer.^[7] McLaren bought five DFV engines at a cost of 7,500pounds sterling each.^[8] DesignerRobin Herd was recruited to the team in 1965 before which he had been an aerospace engineer at theNational Gas Turbine Establishment (NGTE) where he worked on theConcorde project. His assistantGordon Coppuck was another ex-NGTE employee.^[9][10] Herd began the design of the M7A towards the end of 1967 but left to join Cosworth before its completion, leaving Coppuck and Bruce McLaren to complete the work.^[9][11]

The M7A was anopen-wheeled single-seater with amid-mounted enginedriving the rear wheels. The chassis was a bathtub-type (i.e. open-topped)monocoque initially made from 22-gaugealuminium alloy panels glued and riveted together and to threesteelbulkheads. Magnesium alloy was used for the dash panel, battery cover and numerous smaller non-folded panels The monocoque terminated behind the driver's seat and the engine was used as a stressed member, bolted directly to the rearmost bulkhead. The gearbox was then attached behind the engine, and the rear suspension – consisting of lateral top links, twinradius arms and reversedwishbones– attached to the gearbox and the rear bulkhead. The front suspension – upper and lower lateral links and radius arms – and the steering column were attached to the two bulkheads in front of the driver.Coilover springs and Konidampers mounted outside of the body were employed front and rear. These were soon after replaced with the more proven Armstrong units.^[11]

The outer bodywork was mostly formed by the monocoque, except for the nose and cockpit which were covered byglass-reinforced plastic (GRP) panels; the engine sometimes also had a GRP cover.^[12] Thewheelbase for the prototype car (M7A/1) was noted as 7ft 9.6", M7A/2 and M7A/3 were subsequently 96.5", just 0.5" longer than its short lived predecessor, the M5A; the fronttrack 58 inches (1,500 mm) and the rear track 57 inches (1,400 mm); weight was 1,140 pounds (520 kg).^[13] McLaren's own magnesium alloy wheels were used; they were 15-inch (380 mm) diameter at the rear and 15- or sometimes 13-inch (330 mm) diameter at the front.^[11][14][15]

Fuel was stored in tanks running down the side of the chassis, above the driver's legs and behind their seat, totalling 40 imperial gallons (180 L) capacity. Full capacity was not required for most races so the tank above the driver's legs was usually almost empty.^[11] For the M7A's first two world championship races, Bruce McLaren's car was fitted with outboard "pannier" fuel tanks at the side of the cockpit. McLaren had a theory that sports racing cars' handling was superior to that of single-seaters because of the weight distribution of their fuel; the pannier tanks were an attempt to replicate this. According to McLaren mechanic Tyler Alexander this idea was developed in discussion with Lotus bossColin Chapman. After the car was damaged at the1968 Monaco Grand Prix, it was rebuilt without the pannier tanks.^[16][17]

The prototype car, M7A/1 was initially fitted with 10.5-inch (266.7mm) diameter solid disc brakes and Girling calipers whilst McLaren awaited delivery of their newly commissioned brake system, which was unusual both in being made byLockheed when most British Formula One teams usedGirling brakes, and in being ventilated. The prototype car was fitted with the all new brake system in early 1968 and subsequent M7A's adopted the same type of brakes. The new Lockheed four-piston lightweight alloy caliper being able to accommodate the larger designed discs which now measured 11.625 inches (295mm) in diameter. Ventilated discs, which are in turn thicker in section, have a hollow area between the two outer disc surfaces to aid cooling^[18] – had been tried by Lotus who had suffered from cracking problems caused by rapid heating and cooling. The McLaren team hoped that by being mounted well within the wheels, their discs would retain a more constant temperature.^[19]

During the 1968 season,wings – which press the car and tyres towards the ground thereby increasing cornering speeds and reducing braking distances^[20] – first appeared on Formula One cars in races. Teams experimented with various wing set-ups and the governing body of the sport, theCSI, regulated their use.^[21] McLaren had first experimented with wings on their 1965M2A Formula One development car but didn't use them on the following season's racing car, the M2B.^[9] The M7A and its variants wore a variety of wing configurations, as described in the racing history section.

The DFV engine, whose development was funded by Ford and which was designed and constructed by Cosworth, wasnormally aspirated with eightcylinders arranged in av configuration (i.e. aV8) of 90 degrees. Theblock was made from aluminium alloy and the cylinder liners fromiron. It had four valves per cylinder, actuated bydouble overhead camshafts.^[22]Liquid-cooling was provided by aradiator situated in the nose which vented through ducts in the upper body surface whilst theengine oil was cooled by a radiator mounted on top of the gearbox at the rear.^[19] Peak power was 410 bhp (306 kW) at 9,000 rpm. The gearbox was a Hewland DG300.^[23]

The works cars were painted Traffic Yellow, a British Standard colour, number 368 on the 381C scale which was used in the paint and fibreglass gel-coat industry. This yellow/orange colour was later incorrectly described as papaya however in reality it was only ever known as McLaren Orange by the factory; it was not anational racing colour, however, the colour would continue to be used on works McLaren cars until Yardley sponsorship was obtained in 1972.

The M7B was a one-off conversion of M7A/3, the car which, in its original specification, brought the first F1 Grand Prix win for McLaren Cars at the Belgian GP in 1968. The fuel was stored low and centrally in bags which were housed inside L72 aluminium pontoons, riveted either side of the cockpit and terminating at the engine by a new, full width magnesium bulkhead. This was another result of Bruce McLaren's theory about improving the car's handling by altering the fuel weight distribution.^[16] Author and former McLaren secretary Eoin Young said that another purpose of the outboard tanks was to make room for a four-wheel-drive system.^{[12][nb 2]}

The chief distinguishing characteristic of M7C was its fully enclosed monocoque which gave greater torsional rigidity than the bathtub chassis. The chassis was identical to McLaren'sM10AFormula 5000 car, save for the removal of the horns at the rear of the monocoque, which itself was derived from the M7A.^[12][25] One was made.^[26]

The M7D was commissioned byAlfa Romeo'sAutodelta competition department and was powered by a 3.0 litre V8 engine from Alfa Romeo'sT33 sports car. The engine is variously cited as producing peak power of between 410 bhp (306 kW) and 430 bhp (321 kW) (the highest figure said to be produced at 10,500 rpm), with good levels of torque, but McLaren found that performance varied significantly between units. The wheelbase remained similar at 96" however a new mounting point was created for thealternator which, unlike the DFV arrangement, was not integrated with the engine. One M7D was built up on a new chassis based on the M7 series design.^{[12][26][27][28]}

For the 1968 Formula One season, after two years of driving the team's sole entry,^[29] Bruce McLaren was partnered byDenny Hulme. Hulme was world champion with theBrabham team in 1967 and had raced for McLaren that year inCan-Am, a North American sports car racing series.^[30][31] For the first round of the 1968 world championship – theSouth African Grand Prix, which was held in January, four months before the second round – only Hulme competed, using the M5A to finish fifth. The M7A's first race was theRace of Champions atBrands Hatch, run to Formula One rules but not part of the world championship. There, McLaren won from pole position while Hulme was third. Another victory came at the non-championshipBRDC International Trophy atSilverstone, this time with Hulme finishing first and McLaren second. In the M7A's championship debut inSpain, Hulme was second and McLaren retired, then inMonaco McLaren crashed and Hulme was fifth and last. At theBelgian Grand Prix, they were fifth and sixth on the grid. Hulme took the lead and held it until ahalf shaft failed two thirds of the way in. McLaren was then second behindJackie Stewart'sMatra but Stewart had to make apit stop for fuel on the final lap, giving McLaren the win, although he initially believed he had finished second.^[32] It was the McLaren team's first world championship victory and Bruce McLaren became the second driver, afterJack Brabham, to win in a car bearing their own name; it was also the last win of his career.^[13][33]

After Belgium, McLaren's Goodyear tyres suffered a slump in competitiveness and the team and their car fell behind rivalsGraham Hill in his Lotus and Stewart in his Matra.^[13][34] At theDutch Grand Prix McLaren crashed out and Hulme retired with ignition failure.^[35] After Lotus had begun the first experimentation with wings in Monaco and Ferrari and Brabham had debuted full height wings in Belgium, McLaren fitted a rear wing to their car for theFrench Grand Prix.^[35][36] However, mounted above the engine on thesprung mass of the car, it was not as effective as Lotus's wing mounted on theunsprung suspension components.^[13] In France Hulme was fourth, then fifth inBritain but both cars were out of the points-earning positions at theGerman Grand Prix.^{[37][nb 3]}

An improvement in form came at theItalian Grand Prix where the cars ran without wings and Goodyear brought their new G9 specification tyre. McLaren qualified on the front row and led to begin with until he slowed at the scene of an accident and was caught by Stewart, Hulme andJo Siffert in a Lotus. Aslipstreaming battle ensued; McLaren retired with an oil leak at mid-distance but Hulme went on to win.^[13][39][40] From theCanadian Grand Prix onwards, a third M7A was driven byDan Gurney whoseAnglo American Racers team – for whom Bruce McLaren had driven for three races in 1967^[41] – had run out of funding for their own Eagle cars. Gurney retired with overheating in Canada, but Hulme and McLaren continued their success by finishing first and second respectively, albeit after their strongest challengers had all retired. Hulme was then jointly in the lead of the Drivers' Championship with two races to go. He ran competitively towards the beginning of theUnited States Grand Prix but ultimately retired via a spin, pit stops to repair damaged brake lines and a gearbox output shaft failure which spun him again, this time into a crash. McLaren was sixth, Gurney fourth. Going into the final race inMexico, Hulme retained a chance of defending his title. McLaren finished second there, but Hulme crashed out because of a broken suspension damper allowing Hill to win the Drivers' Championship.^[42]

For 1969 McLaren, with an unchanged driver line-up, designed a new four-wheel drive car, theM9A, but whilst that was being readied, continued with the old car. The M9A was eventually unsuccessful and appeared only once, driven byDerek Bell at theBritish Grand Prix. At theSouth African Grand Prix Hulme scored a podium with the M7A; Bruce used the M7B version and the pair were joined byBasil van Rooyen in another M7A. In South Africa the works cars used rear wings mounted directly to the suspension on tall struts; at theRace of Champions Bruce McLaren's M7B was fitted with a similarly strutted front wing in the practice session but it was not used in the race. Hulme was third at the Race of Champions and then atInternational Trophy Bruce McLaren switched to the M7C variant. McLaren qualified 13th on the grid at theSpanish Grand Prix but took advantage of the crashes and breakdowns of those ahead of him to finish second. In the practice sessions atMonaco, high front wings were added to the cars but before the race the CSI banned wings altogether. This left the team to make do with a small "ducktail" rearspoiler, McLaren and Hulme racing to fifth and sixth respectively. Wings were then re-allowed, albeit not mounted on the suspension, and with teams searching for the best solution McLaren initially opted for a "tea tray" rear wing and later a more conventional, low-mounted aerofoil.^{[13][21][26][43]}

Meanwhile, the Colin Crabbe Antique Automobiles team bought the M7B andVic Elford drove it at theDutch Grand Prix, finishing 10th. McLaren was fourth, third and third at theFrench, British andGerman Grands Prix respectively, but in each Hulme, who qualified on the first row in France and Britain, was sidelined into retirement by mechanical failure. Elford took a best finish of fifth in France but then crashed and destroyed the M7B at theNürburgring in Germany. TheItalian Grand Prix atMonza produced another slipstreaming battle; this time McLaren finished fourth, albeit only 0.19 seconds behind winner Stewart. More unreliability inCanada and theUnited States restricted the cars to a best finish of fifth before, at the season endingMexico race Hulme scored the M7's only win of the year.^[13][26][43]

With McLaren's introduction of the newM14A in 1970, the M7 had only one more works outing when Dan Gurney used an M7A at the1970 British Grand Prix. PrivateerJohn Surtees bought the M7C as a stopgap until his own Surtees TS7 car was ready. He raced it at four Grands Prix, retiring from three and finishing sixth in theNetherlands. The car then switched hands toJo Bonnier who used it for two more races that year. The M7D was used intermittently with theM14D byAndrea de Adamich andNanni Galli, qualifying for and starting only one race, theFrench Grand Prix where de Adamich finished unclassified. By 1971 the only type's only entrant was Bonnier with his M7C. He used it at five races and had a best result of 10th in theItalian Grand Prix.

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In 2005, a driveable, detailed replica of the McLaren M7B was released as part of the free '69 Mod' for the pc-based racing simulationGrand Prix Legends.