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The McLaren and Mini Cooper Connection
The Mini and Bruce McLaren became associated with each other through the Cooper Car Company. The young New Zealander had enjoyed success in NZ racing events with various cars including an Austin Seven Ulster Special prepared by himself and his father Les in the McLaren Garage in Remuera, Auckland. So the Austin and BMC connection had been made previous to his leaving for UK and Europe sponsored by the New Zealand International Grand Prix Association in 1958 to further his racing career.
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Bruce McLaren was one of three Cooper Formula 1 drivers at the time (the others being Jack Brabham and Roy Salvadori) racing for John Cooper when Mini was introduced in 1959.
The Formula Junior Class Coopers used BMC engines and McLaren, Brabham, and Salvadori put these engines developed for racing into their personal Mini cars. These would later become the "1071S" engines.
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Bruce and Les McLaren with Austin Seven Ulster and a bonnet full of trophies
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Bruce McLaren and John Cooper after a Grand Prix win
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In the late ‘50s and 60’s, F1 Grand Prix teams and drivers would come down to Australia and New Zealand to contest the Australian and New Zealand Grand Prix and the Tasman Racing Series for a Summer holiday break from Europe over the December/January period. McLaren raced one of the first Mini Coopers in NZ along with Roy Salvadori and this was at the New
Zealand Grand Prix at Ardmore on 6th January 1962. The car had the FJ spec engine but his mechanic Wally Wilmott had to replace the cam after early tests at Pukekohe with a much milder profile which made the car much more drivable and increased the lap times considerably.
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They were able to do the cam swap with the engine in place, in Bruce's father's 'home' garage, by removing the radiator and cutting the sheet metal slots behind the left front wheel .A Newspaper reports in December 1961 “Telephone calls to London had the BMC taking one of the first Mini Coopers off the production line and that there was only five days in which to tune the car before it had to be loaded for shipment to NZ”. The articles go on to give quite a few details about the car, technical specs and Bruce describing the inside story of the development of the Mini Cooper etc. This car would probably have been the one imported by BMC Morris importer The Dominion Motors Ltd as it refers to a Mr Wallis being named as the importer. The current whereabouts of this car is unknown.
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At the Lady Wigram Trophy meeting at Christchurch 20th January 1962, Bruce drove the Mini Cooper #47 in a supporting saloon car race. His F1 colleague Ron Flockhart also drove a Mini Cooper, and a local Dunedin driver Jim Steans was driving a locally tuned Austin Mini. In late 1962, Bruce arranged the import of a Green and white Morris Mini Cooper S with a 1071 cc motor. This car was raced in the 1963 season by Bruce and was then left in NZ and owned by his father Les McLaren and used as the family second car. This car is still owned by a private owner Rod Harris of Whangarei and awaiting restoration.
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Dennis Marwood (Humber 80) leads Jim Steans, Bruce Mclaren, Ron Flockhart, at Wigram 1962.
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On 26th January 1963 Bruce won the Teretonga International race in the South Island of New Zealand in a Cooper F1 car, and thrilled spectators by some extraordinary drives with the Mini Cooper Number #47, in supporting saloon car races. At this meeting Bruce was doing some exploratory laps in this Mini with Innes Ireland in the passenger seat when the car lost a right front wheel and ended up in the sand hills at the side of the track.
Left - Bruce McLaren standing by his F1 Cooper looking at his stranded Mini Cooper at Teretonga 1963.
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More details and stories to come as this story is still being researched. For profile and details of Bruce McLaren's life and career visit website: http://www.bruce-mclaren.com The McLaren family also owned another Austin Mini Cooper S, a white and black car that Bruce organised for his father Les McLaren. This car was never raced by Bruce but used for publicity shots. It arrived from GB in October 1965 and was one of the earliest 1275cc cars to come to NZ. It is also still owned by a private NZ owner, Murray Lockie of Kumeu.
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Researched and written by Greg Wenzlick. |
