McLaren M18
The
McLaren M10 range was a hard act to follow but, even so, the M18 was a huge
disappointment for McLaren and Trojan. It started well, with Redman taking
a win and two second places in the first three UK races but as the season
wore on it often seemed the old M10Bs were quicker. But at least it wasn't
as bad as the M22.
Eoin Young's book does not says how many M18s were built but records from a parts supplier show that coil/shock units were supplied for M18 500-01 to 500-08. As well as these eight, it looks like another two were built up from spare tubs later. Three of these were destroyed leaving seven to find. So far, six have been traced, leaving just the Wietzes car to be found.
My thanks to Marcus Pye, Ted Walker, Jaime Gard, Don O'Sullivan, Duncan Fox and Chris Townsend for helping me assemble this puzzle and to Ted and Duncan again and also Al Moore, Jeremy Jackson and Stuart Dent for permission to use their pictures. The basic racing histories quoted below were originally derived from "The Formula 1 Register Fact Book: Formula 5000 1968-1971" (Paul Sheldon, 1994) and "The Formula 1 Register Fact Book: Formula 5000 1972-1981" (Paul Sheldon, 1994) but have been revised as new information has come to light. Further information has come from Graham Vercoe's "Historic Racing Cars of New Zealand".
All and any further help would be gratefully received. Please e-mail Allen at allen@oldracingcars.com if you can add anything.
| Car | History | Current owner |
|---|---|---|
| McLaren M18 500-01 |
Then returned to McLaren and updated as the M22 prototype. Raced in the 1972 Tasman series by David Hobbs where it was first called "M22" and then "M18B". This car returned to Europe to act as the basis of the "real" M22 built for VDS in time for the UK season. Racing Team VDS for Teddy Pilette UK 1972 (R1-R6) and then replaced by the first Trojan-built production M22. Advertised by Trojan Racing Ltd May 1972 but apparantly unsold and kept it as a spare into 1973. VDS again UK 1973 (R2 - crash).
The M22 had been bought with the intention of stripping it to build a 5-litre sports car but it appears to have survived intact and was sold to Chris Milton for the 1975 Tasman series. He raced it again in the 1976 Australian Internationals and again at Winton In November that year.
|
Alan Newton (Aus) 2004 |
| McLaren M18 500-02 |
Built for 1971 season. Team Trojan UK 1971: raced by Graham McRae (from R2 - crashed). Destroyed (see Autosport 20 May 1971 p3). | Destroyed |
| McLaren M18 500-03 |
Unknown. Most likely the Wietzes car. | |
| McLaren M18 500-04 |
 Built for 1971 season. Barry Newman UK 1971: raced by Tim Schenken (R2,
R7), Howden Ganley (R3 - crashed, R6), Jean-Pierre Jassaud (R5, R10). Speed
International Racing UK 1972: raced by Ray Calcutt (R1, R4-R5, R8-R10),
Tony Lanfranchi (R12, R14) -
Sheridan Thynne UK 1973: raced by Tony Trimmer (from R5), then Jac Nelleman
(R15), Arie Luyendijk (R16, R18) and Bernard Bird (R17). Returned later
in 1974 run by Trimmer but driven by Boy Hayje (R8 Zandvoort) and John Stevens
(R14 Brands Hatch, at least one Brands Hatch
libre race and a DNS
at R18 Brands Hatch). In all three recorded races, Stevens crashed the car.
Retained by Ganley "for many years, in a rough state until sold to
CJ 'John' Hewitt in Gloucestershire, Spring 2001". Retained 2006. |
John Hewitt (UK) 2006 |
| McLaren M18 500-05 |
 Built
for 1971 season. Team Trojan UK 1971: raced by Ulf Norinder (R5-R8).
Speed International Racing UK 1972: raced by Ray Allen (R1, R3-R6, R8-R12,
R14), David Prophet (R2), Gijs van Lennep (R13). Not seen in 1973. To
Shell as a show car - Jon
Bradburn (Wolverhampton, UK) by 1984 - Gerry Walton 1984: raced for
many years in HSCC racing before crashing it at Oulton Park. Repaired
but then damaged when a lorry reversed into it! Subsequently sold to
Martin Cowell (Hereford, UK) 1995 or 1996. Retained by Cowell 2002. |
Martin Cowell (UK) 2002 |
| McLaren M18 500-06 |
Built for 1971 season. Evan Noyes
US 1971 (from Mid-Ohio, 5 Jul; crashed at last race of season). Rebuilt
with new tub and raced in New Zealand Tasman races 1972. Rented by Noyes
to Allan Lader. Lader US 1972 (four races, debut at R2 Edmonton 4 Jun 1972,
second; then crashed badly at
R3 Watkins Glen and rebuilt on a new monocoque. Crashed again at R4 Elkhart
Lake. Crashed again in practice at R6 Road Atlanta but raced once more,
at R7 Lime Rock. Subsequent history unclear.
500-06(A) [presumed]: One of these cars now owned by Wes McNay (California). Possibly a car built up from one of the three damaged tubs. 500-06(B): New Zealand McLaren expert Duncan Fox has spoken at length with Gary Pederson (New Zealand) and Pederson reports that he purchased the entire crashed but disassembled (ex-Lader) car complete with a brand new Trojan tub from Evan Noyes. They left all the damaged unusable components in the US (including the crashed tub) rather than pay duty which was 68% in those days. Pederson built up the car in time for the 1974 Tasman series. Crashed at Adelaide (24 Feb) and not raced again. It was described as either a McLaren M18/22 or a McLaren M18C and was called "M18 03" by Pederson as it was the third car he had built. Owned by Peter Benbrook (Auckland, New Zealand) in 1991. Still with Benbrook 2002. |
Apparantly divided: 500-06(A): Wes McNay (US) 2002 500-06(B): Peter Benbrook (New Zealand) 2002 |
| McLaren M18 |  "Unused
M18 F5000 monocoque" advertised
by Ian Webb in Feb 1984.
Subsequently with other M18 parts to Paul Lanzante; later built up (believed
to be by Tony Steele) for Roger Ealand (Maidenhead, Berks, but now back
in Australia - then orange); then sold to David Coplowe in white livery,
then to Frank Lyons (Ireland, but lives Felsted, Essex) painted red
with dark green stripe about 1999. Retained by Lyons 2001. |
Frank Lyons (UK) 2001 |
The mystery cars
The following M18s are not yet fully explained.
| Car | History | Current owner |
|---|---|---|
| McLaren M18 'the Wietzes car' |
 Eppie
Wietzes US 1971 (at R1, 5th). Advertised by Wietzes as late as 2 Dec
1972. Sold to
Bill Jongbloed. Subsequent history unknown but may be the Dwight Zillig car. |
Unknown |
| McLaren M18 'the Motschenbacher car' |
May be 500-07. Originally built for Graham McRae to replace the car crashed at UK R2. Unraced as Trojan "released" McRae and sold to Lothar Motschenbacher US 1971 (from Edmonton 1 Aug). Again in US 1972 but not seen after Road Atlanta 20 Aug 1972. "Crashed nastily in the rain at Atlanta" (Autocourse 1972-73 US review p151). Duncan Fox has been working hard to determine the fate of this car and is now satisfied that the tub was dumped although some parts from the car may survive somewhere. Some parts were reported to be in Los Angeles in 2002. | Destroyed |
| McLaren M18 'the O'Sullivan car' |
May be 500-08. Don O'Sullivan (Australia). Bought new from McLaren to replace O'Sullivan's M10A crashed at Teretonga. First seen at Mallala 11 Oct 1971 with Repco-Holden V8. Raced at 21 Nov 1971 Australian GP. Entered in the 1972 Australian Tasman rounds but DNA. Next seen at Surfers Paradise 27 Aug 1972 (raced by O'Sullivan) then at Symmons Plain 24 Sep (DNA but described as McLaren M22) and Adelaide 8 Oct. Raced by Howie Sangster for O'Sullivan from Warwick Farm 5 Nov 1972 (DNS). Not entered in 1973 Tasman series. O'Sullivan then bought M22 (M22-1-72) from VDS and this car is not seen again. Jaime Gard recalls it being reduced to a bare tub to contribute parts to the Gardos F5000 and then sold with the McLaren M22. However, M18 bulkheads have been found in the Gardos so it would appear than the M18 was completely consumed. | No longer exists |
| McLaren M18 | A new car, still at Trojan, advertised by Kirk F. White (Ardmore, PA) in Autoweek 24 Jun 1972. Nothing more known. Could this be the source of the new tub used by Lader after his Watkins Glen accident? | Unknown |
| McLaren M18 'the Dwight Zillig car' |
Dwight Zillig: SCCA Nationals 1976 (one known race: Laguna Seca 27 June 1976); SCCA Nationals 1977 (two known races: Sears Point 24 April and Laguna Seca 25 June). Nothing more known. | Unknown |
Some sources show Tom Jones racing a McLaren M18 in the US in 1974; this is thought to be his McLaren M22.
Sources include "The Formula 1 Register Fact Book: Formula 5000 1968-1971" (Paul Sheldon, 1994), "The Formula 1 Register Fact Book: Formula 5000 1972-1981" (Paul Sheldon, 1994) and Graham Vercoe's two books "Historic Racing Cars of New Zealand" (1991) and "The Golden Era of New Zealand Motor Racing" (1993).
These histories last updated on 27 February, 2010 .