I can confirm that Digby Taylor (Wellington) raced it 1970-73 but don't recall the colour - I have a vague feeling it was in a darler colour than the works yellow. I believe it was then sold to someone in Christchurch. This was when the regs limited engine-size to 2 litres, so if it raced at all it would have been with a smaller engine of some sort. (The next name on your list, Brian Middlemass, was Dunedin-based)
David, in George's book (The Engine Roars) he talks of the car going to the North Island to be cut up, and its components used to make a saloon car. I have spoken to Neville Brumby (Gore) and he said that the chassis (when he owned it) had been cut in two, but not otherwise molested.
Neville sold it (the remains) to Tony Roberts/Duncan Fox, who only wanted to get the chassis - which they saw as being the makings of an M1B that had been driven by Bruce and Chris. As I understand it the chassis (which was the only bit I didn't get) has been sold to a U.K. buyer quite recently.
Here is just a bit fuller version of the 'parts' story.
Parts:-
Chassis McLaren M1B (1966)
Second ‘B’ chassis works built. Designed to take 13” wheels all round, it was only raced once in this configuration, driven by Bruce in April of that year only just being finished in time for Snetterton. Its second outing was at Silverstone where Chris Amon drove it. At this race it was fitted with 13” front and 15” rear wheels in an attempt to overcome handling problems encountered at Snetterton. It was again raced in Canada by Chris at St Joviet and Mosport only by then it had 15” wheels all round.
Later that year the car was dismantled and most of the parts were fitted to a new chassis, to become one of a pair raced in the Canam series. The chassis was discarded into a corner of the factory, where it lay until George bought it and shipped it to N.Z. to for the basis of the McBegg
Body McLaren M6 (1967, lowered as prototype for M8 1968)
To test some design ideas for the soon to be built M8 cars Bruce decided that Denny’s M6 car (raced as #5) should be cut up and used. The chassis had the section behind the rear of the cockpit was removed and the new 7 liter Chevrolet engine became a ‘stressed member’ bearing most of the loads, and was supported/braced by tubes going back to the rear cross member.
The bodywork was lowered in the front section by simply taking a 2” slice out of it along each side and across the front. Fitted to the modified chassis it did many laps of Goodwood while tests were done.
Having served its purpose, it was discarded into the same corner as the chassis until George came along.
Gearbox Hewland LG
Motor Chevrolet 5.9 litre
Suspension
Front uprights strengthened (by gusseting) Standard Triumph (ex McLaren)
Front wishbones M1B McLaren
Rear uprights M1B McLaren
Bottom rear wishbones M6 McLaren
Wheels
Front M1B McLaren
Rears (were) M6 McLaren race wheels, from the end of the 67 Can am season. The team had been having trouble with these wider wheels cracking and as a stop gap measure they had braced one set of wheels with external steel plates. The wheels had been run at Laguna Seca and then Las Vegas before being discarded to the scrap bin. (Georges shopping spot)
Parts arrived in Invercargill Christmas 1968
[QUOTE=Wal Will;8470]David, in George's book (The Engine Roars) he talks of the car going to the North Island to be cut up, and its components used to make a saloon car.
When I was involved in the early seventies with trying to get OSCA going up North here ,I am sure that in one of the monthly newsletters it said Dick Cook in Wellington had brought it and he was going to use it as the basis for a OSCA car ,Victor or Viva rings a bell ??
Wally I know somewhere I am sure I have some photos of it in Digby Taylors time ,if I do have I will make sure you get them
Digby Taylor is still around and involved with the design of a catamaran for use on Lake Taupo - see this TradeMe listing with his contact details : http://www.trademe.co.nz/motors/boat...-418754033.htmOriginally Posted by David McKinney
The sports car rear uprights stayed the same casting from the M1 through to the M6 - only difference on the M6 aplication is that the bottom radius rod pickup was moved from the boss on the bottom of the casting and onto the bottom whishbone. George went with the M6 setup because he had bought home M6 wishbones.
Luckily Ray Franklin of Vintage engineering is turning out an extremely good copy of those uprights.
The original Girling brake calipers have become almost impossible to find (especially if you need 4) but a company in England are making a good sandcast copy.
Wal, you are certainly pushing ahead with this project. Do you have any timeline in mind for completing the car ?
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