McLaren M4B

McLaren M4B

Category	Formula One
Constructor	Lambretta-Trojan, Bruce McLaren Motor Racing
Designer(s)	Robin Herd
Technical specifications
Chassis	Aluminium monocoque
Suspension (front)	Single top link with radius arms and lower wishbones, outboard coil spring/shock units and anti-roll bar
Suspension (rear)	Twin radius arms, reversed lower wishbones and single top links with outboard coil spring/shock units
Engine	BRM 1998 cc V8 naturally aspirated Mid-engined, longitudinally mounted
Transmission	5-speed manual gearbox
Fuel	Shell
Tyres	Goodyear
Competition history
Notable entrants	Bruce McLaren Motor Racing
Notable drivers	Bruce McLaren
Debut	1967 Race of Champions (non-championship), 1967 Monaco Grand Prix
Races Wins Poles Fastest laps 2 GPs + 3 non-championship 0 (Best result 4th, Monaco) 0 0
Constructors' Championships	0 (Best result 10th, 1967)
Drivers' Championships	0

The McLaren M4B was a Formula One racing car constructed by Trojan for Bruce McLaren Motor Racing and raced five times by New Zealander Bruce McLaren at the start of 1967.

The M4B was based on the M4A Formula 2 car as a stopgap between the M2B and the M5A. Additional fuel tanks were added either side of the cockpit to allow the car to run a full Grand Prix distance, and the rear end of the car was cut away to accommodate a 2.0 litre BRM type 56-2 V8, an enlarged and updated version of the engine with which Graham Hill had won the World Championship in 1962.

The car made its debut in the 1967 Race of Champions at Brands Hatch, showing promise with fourth and sixth places in the heats before a missed gear by McLaren in the final race put him out with engine failure. In the Spring Trophy at Oulton Park McLaren managed fifth place in both heats and the race, and came fifth again in the International Trophy at Silverstone.

The M4B's Grand Prix debut came at Monaco, where its short wheelbase made it surprisingly competitive. McLaren ran as high as third before a pit stop to replace a flat battery dropped him back to fourth at the finish - the first points scored by a McLaren chassis that season. In the next Grand Prix in Holland McLaren crashed the M4B on the first lap, but after the car had later been repaired it caught fire during a test at Goodwood and was written off.

References

• http://www.oldracingcars.com/car.asp?CarID=M4B/1
• http://www.mathewscollection.com/former/Former_McLaren_M4B.htm
• http://www.ddavid.com/formula1/brmp56.htm
• http://www.grandprix.com/gpe/rr152.html
• http://www.bruce-mclaren.com/the-cars/f2/m4b