McLaren cars are known for their sportiness and unique aesthetics that give them a futuristic appearance. They’re among the most desired sports and supercars on the market. The name of the brand stands for exclusivity, as the brand spanking new models are pricey, but they’ve consistently delivered on performance and curb appeal for decades. Have you ever wondered who started the McClaren brand or who owns it now? Here’s everything that you need to know about the origins and current owner of the company.
The origins of McLaren
According to the McLaren Press Room, Bruce McLaren is the founder of McLaren Motor Racing. McLaren was born in Aukland, New Zealand in 1937. His goals were to produce sports cars that were technologically advanced as well as high performing. His initial plans were to develop cars for racing. he moves to the United Kingdom in 1958 under the mentorship of Jack Brabham who introduced him to Cooper Cars. He joined forces with the team to create lightweight Grand Prix cars. He joined the F1 team in 1959, remaining with Cooper for seven years. He won the US Grand Prix at age 22, followed by three more Grand Prix wins along with other wins in sports car competitions. He won the Le Mans 24 hours race in 1966, driving for Jaguar, Aston Martin, and Ford.
Bruce McLaren, founder of the original McLaren Cars
Although a competitive racecar driver, he wanted to start his own company. He started with a Cooper and an Oldsmobile engine, building a few Coopers for the company that had previously employed him. In 1964, Bruce McLaren and his team build the very first McLaren Sports car. the model was called the M1A and it became a big contender in American and European racing circles. Following proof of its merit, his small company built 24 of the M1As followed by the M1B model that succeeded it. Soon the company was building its Formula 1 car called the M2B. He was killed testing a new sports car in 1970 at Goodwood. The team continued to achieve victories, despite losing McLaren.
Ron Dennis takes over McLaren Cars
At the time of Bruce McLaren’s death in 1970, he was working on the M6GT prototype. This was a car that he designed and was testing, but he passed away before the completion of the prototype. He is the founder of Bruce McLaren Racing, but the company was eventually acquired by Ron Dennis who took over the Woking, Surrey, England McLaren Cars company in 1985. By 2010 the company name was changed to McLaren Automotive. The company went into registration period as a Dormant company from 1994 to 2010, according to Wikipedia, until officially being recognized as McLaren Automotive. It was first a separate company from McLaren Cars, as a new venture set to gain investment capital, but merged in July of 2017 with McLaren Cars.
McLaren Technology Group
Ron Dennis eventually sold his shares in the McLaren Automotive company to the McLaren Technology Group. Research confirms that the current owner of McLaren is the McLaren Technology Group with its headquarters at the McLaren Technology Centre, Chertsey Road, Woking, Surrey, United Kingdom. The company is active with Paul Anthony Buddin as the current director. He was appointed to the post in July of 2018. The Role is shared by Michael Flewitt. Notably, there have been 30 resignations of the 33 top positions at the McLaren Technology Group.
McLaren’s Street-Legal Road Cars
Wikipedia begins the history of McLaren’s street-legal versions. The F1 was the first road car built. It was based on Gordon Murray’s concept and backed by Ron Dennis. , there was a lull in production until 2010 when the MP4-12C that was later called the 12C was released for sale to the public in 2011. The company had gone through a lot of changes. In 2015, three divisions for the manufacturer were established under the classifications of Sports, Super, and Ultimate Series, based on power output. The model designations include C for the club, S for sport, and GT for Grand Tourer with an LT designation thrown in for longtail. Under the entry-level, the 570S, and its spider variant were released along with the 570 GT, the 540C, the 600 LT, and its Spider variant. McLaren released the Super Series 650S, 625C, and 675LT which were succeeded by the 720S in 2017, and its Spider variant in 2018. The Ultimate Series was McLaren’s high-end vehicles including the P1, P1 GTR, the Senna, the Senna GTR, and the Speedtail as the successor for the original F1.
Partnership with Mercedes-Benz
McLaren partnered with Mercedes-Benz briefly to collaborate on three new vehicles including the P8, the P9, and the P10. Teams were working on concept cars that would produce a less expensive version for the general public. In 2005, the projects were aborted as the projects turned out to be too expensive to continue the effort. All three vehicles were abandoned and never produced for sale to the public.
Final thoughts
McLaren vehicles are still being produced under the ownership of the McLaren Technology Group. The company has come a long way in its evolution since the early days when it was a vehicle for producing some of the finest racing cars in the world during the 1960s. There have been ups and downs throughout McLaren’s history. The vehicles are not made in a generous supply and they’re often hard to find because of the limited production numbers. Throughout the changes and its turbulent history, Each owner has ensured that Bruce McLaren’s original vision and desire to produce the most powerful and competitive vehicles in the world has been upheld. The name has remained one of the most respected brands by drivers and admirers of the pure power that McLaren sports cars have to offer, throughout the globe.
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