What Separates McLaren Engineering From Other Auto Makers?
When you ask the question, what sets McLaren engineering apart from other automakers, you must first look at the history of the brand to fully understand. The difference began in 1958 when New Zealander Bruce McLaren moved from his home in Auckland, New Zealand, to the United Kingdom to pursue a racing career. He joined Cooper racing and took several Grand Prix titles throughout the world, along with multiple other victories. McLaren also won the 24-hours at Le Mans. He was a notable racecar driver but he also had a passion for developing new and innovative racecars. He formed his own company called Bruce McLaren Motor Racing in 1963, according to Wikipedia.In 1964, his company produced the first race car to bear the McLaren brand. The M1A is the original McLaren with only 24 ever built. This was followed by the M1B which took 43 wins and left Porsche in the dust. McLaren built his first Formula One Car called the M2B, which entered the Monaco Grand Prix. McLaren designed the prototype M6GT which was a light sports car that was claimed to have a top speed of 165 mph, however, Bruce Mclaren was killed in a car accident before the prototype was completed.
McLaren’s passion for engineering
Bruce had a passion for engineering that was contagious. After his death, which was a blow to the team, work continued. Bruce McLaren Motor Racing merged with the Ron Dennis Racing Team. Dennis acquired the company in 1980. By 1985 the name was changed to Mclaren Cars, then to McLaren Automotive. in 2010. Dennis sold his shares in the company and it became the property of the Mclaren Technology Group. Designer Jon Barnard began working with carbon fiber composite material resulting in McLaren becoming a pioneer in the use of this aerospace material for automotive use in the MP4/1 racing car which delivered enhanced safety to Formula One racecars. Gordan Murray worked with Dennis in 1988 in the development of the F1, which launched in 1992 with a 106 unit production run.
Innovation has been the one constant
From the time that Bruce McLaren designed the first McLaren racecar to the present, McLaren vehicles have maintained consistency for the use of new and innovative technologies in its track and its production of sports cars. There is always something new presented in the dynamics of McLaren vehicles. The company has maintained strict standards in engineering and to this day McLaren employs teams of the most outstanding engineers.
The difference in McLaren Engineering
According to McLaren’s career page, McLaren leans from the five decades of successes in the racing arena for current engineering strategies, using McLaren developed technologies and developing innovations in the existing technology to enhance each new model developed by the team. They’re building on previous successes, which are ample. The current leadership continually sets new performance benchmarks and efficiency standards to keep the company moving steadily forward. The McLaren Group seeks engineers who can think outside of the box and who share a passion for engineering and the development of improved technologies for McLaren sports cars produced for both track and street driving. McLaren makes the effort to stimulate the development of innovations along with nurturing the teams that work hard to develop new ideas.
McLaren’s five company values
The Mclaren Production Centre maintains its own unique purpose-built state-of-the-art facilities with quality assurance for each model produced bearing the McLaren badge. McLaren performs in-house designing, engineering, and development of each new model and variant. It also keeps the testing, production, and marketing in-house. McLaren maintains a culture of high-performance. It is based upon five simple values. The engineers work as a team of members that truly enjoy what they do. They are goal-oriented and work together in a collaborative spirit, imparting innovations within an inspiring environment that allows for the best possible work. Each member of the engineering team takes their work personally intending to exceed customer expectations. They only hire world-class engineers to work on the new models. McLaren is a leader in the industry when it comes to innovations and the development of new technology
McLaren engineering produces luxury sports cars with an emphasis on performance
Mclaren’s engineering team keeps its focus on performance when each vehicle is made, according to McLaren. The aesthetics are unique and this factor sets them apart from other cars, but the engineering teams are instructed to think differently to provide high-performance in a vehicle that operates smoothly and seamlessly to provide customers with the ultimate luxury sports car experience. These are fast cars that have a tremendous amount of curb appeal. There are currently plans in place to develop and produce 18 new cars and derivatives by the year 2025 from McLaren’s Track25 business plan with $1.25 billion invested in the research and development of these vehicles that will carry on the McLaren tradition in engineering.
Final thoughts
McLaren upholds high standards in the engineering of its vehicles. The brand has always kept its focus on the performance of the sports cars and supercars it produces. The McLaren difference, aesthetics aside, has been in following the example set by Bruce McLaren who started the original business with his vision for producing some of the fastest models in the world for both track and street driving. When you first lay eyes on any new McLaren vehicle the difference in looks is apparent, but it takes getting behind the wheel and feeling the power, experiencing the handling, and comfort while taking it down the road to fully appreciate the differences that the engineering of these cars to understand just how much it does set them apart from the rest of the herd. McLaren has always been a unique brand within the luxury sports car market and they’re willing to invest over a billion to make sure that it stays that way.
