The McLaren M4A was an open-wheel racing car designed by Robin Herd[1] and built by British Formula One team McLaren to compete in the European Formula Two Championship.
The M4A made its début in the 1967 European F2 Championship, and was powered by Ford Cosworth FVA engines.[2] Two works cars were initially produced for use in the championship.[2] Although the car was reasonably competitive in the series, it was not able to challenge the more capable Brabham BT23 or Lotus 48.[3] Graeme Lawrence recalled that he and Frank Gardner, who both drove the car in the 1968 season, struggled to handle the M4A and that McLaren's focus was firmly on Formula One at the time,[4] which explained why little development was done to the car from the 1967 version and teams were not offered much technical support.[5] Customer M4As were run in the 1968 and 1969 Tasman Series. The M4A went on to be used in several other series, including various Formula Three series,[3] Formula Libre,[6] and the Australian Drivers' Championship.
Both the M4B[7] and M5A[6] Formula One cars were based on the M4A chassis.
Since its retirement from active development, the M4A has been used in a variety of historic motorsports.[2] Historical racer Richard Griot recalled from his first drive of an M4A that "Nothing could touch it in a straight line."[8]
^"McLaren Formula 2". Bruce McLaren Trust. Archived from the original on 28 October 2020. Retrieved 26 January 2021.
^ abcLawrence, Paul (August 2017). Trott, Nick (ed.). "McLaren F2 back on track". Motor Sport. Vol. 93, no. 8. London: Motor Sport Magazine Limited. p. 23. ISSN 0027-2019. Archived from the original on 2 February 2021. Retrieved 2 February 2021.
^ abBrown, Allen (15 October 2019). "McLaren M4A car-by-car histories". OldRacingCars.com. Archived from the original on 3 January 2021. Retrieved 3 January 2021.
^"Graeme Lawrence - Reflections on an Open Wheel Career". Australian Racing Group. 21 August 2020. Archived from the original on 3 January 2021. Retrieved 3 January 2021.
^Marriot, Andrew (1 December 1968). Boddy, Bill (ed.). "Formula 2". Motor Sport. Vol. 44, no. 12. London: Teesdale Publishing Company Limited. p. 1145. ISSN 0027-2019. Archived from the original on 4 August 2020. Retrieved 2 February 2021.
^ ab"Memorable McLaren Moments: Singapore". McLaren Racing. McLaren Racing Ltd. Archived from the original on 3 January 2021. Retrieved 3 January 2021.
^Vaughan, Daniel (15 July 2011). "1967 McLaren M4B". conceptcarz.com. Archived from the original on 3 January 2021. Retrieved 3 January 2021.
^Meaden, Dickie (October 2017). Trott, Nick (ed.). "Chasing the dream". Motor Sport. Vol. 93, no. 10. London: Motor Sport Magazine Limited. p. 71. ISSN 0027-2019. Archived from the original on 15 August 2020. Retrieved 2 February 2021.
The McLarenM4A was an open-wheel racing car designed by Robin Herd and built by British Formula One team McLaren to compete in the European Formula Two...
his alternative drive, as was common in the 1960s, in John Coombs's F2 McLarenM4A, finishing fourth in the unclassified drivers' championship. At the end...
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Championship Grand Prix results for the McLaren Formula One team. The second table includes results from privately owned McLaren cars in World Championship Grands...
1971 Australian Drivers' Championship 7th McLarenM4A Cosworth Pat Burke Racing 1972 Tasman Series 13th McLaren M10B Chevrolet Pat Burke Racing 1972 Australian...
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Motohashi Yamaha 1969 4–6 April Singapore Grand Prix Graeme Lawrence McLarenM4A Tham Bing Kwan Norton 1970 26–29 March Singapore Grand Prix Graeme Lawrence...
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Year Entrant Chassis Engine 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 1967 Frank Lythgoe Racing McLarenM4A Cosworth Straight-4 ROC SPR INT SYR OUL 9 ESP Ret 1969 Irish Racing Cars...
Ret 4 Ret 3 = Graeme Lawrence McLarenM4A Ford Cosworth FVA Lawrence Racing 6 5 12 Ret 8 Ret 3 = Neil Allen McLarenM4A Ford Cosworth FVA NE Allen Competition...
Grand Prix Sandown 25 February Jim Clark Lotus 49T Team Lotus Report 8 South Pacific Trophy Longford 4 March Piers Courage McLarenM4A P.Courage Report...
58.7 seconds from Kevin Bartlett driving a McLaren M10B-Chevrolet, with Alan Hamilton, also driving McLaren M10B-Chevrolet, 1.1 seconds behind Bartlett...
Bowin P3 Cosworth Accident 0 10 2 N.E. Allen Competition Niel Allen McLarenM4A Cosworth Accident 0 11 44 Alec Mildren Racing Max Stewart Mildren Waggott...
November 2017 The Sports Car World race report lists the Courage car as a McLaren Ford. The car of Hulme was entered in the Official Programme as a "Repco...
the team to join Lotus in 1967, Coombs hired Piers Courage who drove a McLarenM4A. For 1968, and with support from Ken Tyrrell, Coombs prepared Matras...
Records, Titles and Awards, 2006 CAMS Manual of Motor Sport, page 14-6 David McKay, ho hum hordern, Modern Motor, February 1970, pages 93 & 95 D and S Shaw...
12 ZAN 10 PER BRH DSQ NC 0 Brabham BT21A VAL 12 1968 Robert Lamplough McLarenM4A Ford Cosworth FVA 1.6 L4 HOC Ret THR 12 JAR NC 0 Frank Manning Racing...
Racing Car News Championship Yearbook No. 1, pages 72 & 73 Steven Chopping, McCormack's hollow victory, Racing Car News Championship Yearbook No. 1, pages...
executive officer of Sauber Motorsport, and previously team principal of the McLaren Formula One team and the hybrid Porsche LMP1 program. Seidl graduated from...
round of the 1970 Tasman Series. Frank Matich won his first NZGP in his McLaren Formula 5000 ahead of British racer Derek Bell driving a Tasman Formula...
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