McLarens have gotten a new look over the years, and now the logo is getting a new (but familiar) update.
Virtually every iconic brand starts out from humble roots, and that story is no less true for McLaren. Even before the supercar manufacturer we know today started 40 years ago, there’s a crucial piece of history tied to founder Bruce McLaren. And that piece is the sign above his parents’ Auckland, New Zealand service center, which now forms the basis of McLaren Cars’ branding, the company announced Tuesday.
Before McLaren Cars and the McLaren Racing team, Bruce began his automotive journey by restoring a 1929 Austin 7 Ulster together at that garage. From there, he became competitive racing at hillclimbs and club events before kicking off his Formula One career in 1958, then founding the manufacturer team in 1963. Over the decades, the company established a legendary history with greats including Emerson Fittipaldi, James Hunt, Niki Lauda, Ayrton Senna and Lewis Hamilton, to name just a few.
The McL 6GT, shown above, is the latest model and first to get this new branding, with the updated typeface and the signature Speedmark. However, both McLaren Automotive and McLaren Racing will use the new branding, replacing the previous logo that first debuted all the way back in 1981. The branding will also maintain the Speedy Kiwi will also remain across both brands, so the major change is that more old-school typeface nodding back to Bruce McLaren’s origin story.
McLaren’s branding update comes as it also announced a $572 million (£500 million) investment to expand its engineering and manufacturing presence in the United Kingdom. That will drive new supercar models looking forward, as well as the company’s first performance SUV.
