McLaren M7A Cosworth, A ‘bit’ Of Woking History
In 2018, the McLaren Formula 1 team looks at its legacy and recovers the tonality by which the British team was recognized in its beginnings in the sixties, the papaya orange. Thus, we have proposed to remember which was the first car with which the Woking boys achieved their first successes in the category: the McLaren M7A Cosworth.
It was 1968 and the director and creator of the team, Bruce McLaren, would order Robin Herd to design the new car. Herd’s work was well known to Bruce, and it is from him that the successful McLaren M6 of the American Cam-Am from the previous year came out.
The British engineer designed a monocoque chassis made from aluminum sheets. To the same three bulkheads were added to make in order to gain strength and torsional rigidity.
However, with the job half done, Robin Herd left the team to join the staff of Cosworth, an independent rider. His replacement at McLaren would be Gordon Coppuck, who would focus his work on the suspensions and defining the concept of Herd.
Thus, the car had a conventional suspension to which supports were added to attach the first wings, both front and rear. It was the beginning of aerodynamics, an experimental element that is here to stay.
At the same time, the team found it necessary to change engine suppliers after running outdated Ford V8 and BRM V12 engines. At this point, Bruce McLaren thought of his former employee – Herd – to ask to supply them with the successful new Cosworth DFV V8 powertrains.
With this movement, the British motorcyclist ceased to be the exclusive supplier of Lotus, and went on to motorize the McLaren M7A and the Matra team, in which a young Jackie Stewart began to stand out.
Results
Sportingly speaking, the new Woking car was born in the right way and from the first moment it showed its winning side. It would be Bruce McLaren himself who would lead him to victory in a local race at the Brands Hatch circuit. Later, his teammate Denny Hulme would achieve another triumph at the Silverstone International Trophy.
It was the turn of the McLaren M7A in Formula 1 and the adventure was not bad. Hulme took second place in the car’s debut and Bruce himself would claim the team’s first victory in the Belgian GP.
The car was intractable and would reap two more victories – Italy and Canada – at the hands of Hulme. Consistency in results would earn the team second place in the championship, behind only Team Lotus.
The good results of the McLaren M7A earned it continuity the following season, in which the first evolutions of the same would emerge: the M7B and M7C.
They changed the pontoons and even the chassis structure. However, the rivals passed them on the right and they would only achieve victory in the last race of the year, to finish the course in a discreet fourth position.
