McLaren Mechanic Discusses The Evolution Of The McLaren Logo
With a heritage that spans over 60 years, the McLaren crest continues to be a leading supercar and Formula 1 car brand. Beyond the sheen of carbon fiber bodywork, winning performance, and cutting-edge technology lies a British sports car legacy worth telling. The current McLaren text and papaya speedmark swoosh is instantly identifiable, but began with a logo that resembled a bird native to New Zealand.
In this article, we’ll look at some defining moments that helped shape the McLaren logo and why entrusting your car to a McLaren mechanic is key to ensuring its ongoing performance and longevity.
A Kiwi & Racing Stripes
1964 was the year when the McLaren Logo came to life. New Zealand-born Bruce McLaren, the founder of this legendary racing brand, wanted to commemorate his love for his home country with a well-known patriotic symbol, the Kiwi. Bruce McLaren was a world-class racing driver, designer, and engineer. Bruce was also the youngest driver at the time to win a Formula 1 race at the age of 22. With the first F1 McLaren, the M2b, on the way, Bruce employed his friend, Michael Turner, to design McLaren’s original crest for McLaren’s racing team. The Logo represented a coat of arms for the newly established racing brand and placed it on the global stage.
The ‘Speedy Kiwi’
Just a few years later, in 1971, McLarens Logo evolved with a new font and an orange and more fluid ‘Speedy Kiwi’. Designed by Doug Eyre, the ‘Speedy Kiwi’ was intended to highlight McLaren’s higher speeds at which their cars were racing. But why orange?
Some think it was to align with the national racing colors of New Zealand, while others think it was connected to a sponsor’s brand colors. Whatever the reason, McLaren’s orange ‘Speedy Kiwi’ made for a standout Logo, first appearing on the McLaren M6A race car in 1967.
McLaren’s Logo Goes International
The early 1980s brought on yet another reiteration of McLaren’s logo, and this time it took on a more corporate and global identity. Designed by Raymond Loewy, the new logo was a gift from one of McLaren’s sponsors and resembled a checkered flag. With the exit of the orange ‘Speedy Kiwi’, came a bold red design.
McLaren’s main sponsor, Marlboro, wanted the logo’s color to match their brand. After several red color tests, McLaren’s rocket red formed the foundation of the logo, along with the wording ‘McLaren International’. The Inclusion of the word ‘international’ helped to showcase that this British racing brand was competing on a global scale. Finally, chevron symbols were inserted above the text to invoke a feeling of speed. The 1981 logo revealed a maturing of the McLaren brand and would form the foundation of future logo evolution.
A Small But Significant Merging
1991 brought with it a simplification of the world-renowned brand. A simplified look was created by merging the three chevrons into one. McLaren’s 1991 logo development brought about a minimalist and refined look to the brand, which made it instantly recognizable on the global stage.
McLaren Goes Modern
1997 brought about a revamp of the 1991 logo, with emphasis placed on a more fluid and motioned design of the speedmark. Interestingly, the vortices formed by the rear wings of McLaren’s F1 cars inspired this more streamlined speedmark that we still know today. The updated speedmark appeared on the side pods of McLaren’s F1 cars and was intended to evoke the aggressive, predatory markings found on wild animals. Some believe that this 1997 speedmark design drew inspiration from the ‘Speedy Kiwi’ design, remaining true to its founding identity.
Another significant change to the logo was the removal of the word ‘international’, leaving the single word ‘McLaren’. By the late 1990s, McLaren had built an international reputation and didn’t need to remind the racing world that they were represented globally. At the same time, McLaren was building a network of global servicing outlets to provide specialized McLaren maintenance.
The Turn Of The Millennium
2007 brought a refining of the 1997 logo, with some tweaking of the speedmark, which now becomes red with a gray outline. This was done to align with McLaren’s chrome livery, which featured on their Formula 1 cars. The font of the word “McLaren” was also smoothed out to create a free-flowing appeal. The ‘a’ and the ‘e’ letters were drastically redesigned and created a mirroring contrast in the logo.
McLaren’s Penultimate Design
2017 brought with it the concept of ‘One’ McLaren, intended to create uniformity across McLaren’s three businesses. The entire logo, including the speedmark turned black. Not long after this, McLaren went full circle and introduced papaya, or McLaren Orange, to their car’s livery. By this time, McLaren was a global, instantly recognizable brand with a legacy of racing and performance success.
McLaren’s Latest Evolution
McLaren wanted to distinguish their motor-racing team as ‘McLaren Racing’, which saw McLaren Orange returning to the speedmark in 2021. Along with this came a slimmer and more agile font, intended to showcase the agility and speed of McLaren’s drivers.
A Proudly British Story
McLaren bears testament to Britain’s love for performance super cars. Known for their cutting-edge engineering, and the incorporation of F1 technology into their road cars, McLaren has become a sought-after global brand. Pioneers in the use of carbon fiber, leading to lightweight yet strong cars, McLaren continued to defy automotive engineering odds. McLaren’s popularity has also been soaring in the US, with US-based McLaren customers purchasing 1,090 McLaren models in 2023 alone.
McLaren Mechanic Services In Pompano Beach
When it comes to McLaren, Foreign Affairs Motorsports is experienced in all facets of McLaren service. We are South Florida’s premier European McLaren mechanic auto repair, and performance facility, with a state-of-the-art workshop in Pompano Beach. We treat every McLaren with the utmost care and attention, attending the manufacturer-based, scheduled maintenance program.
Call us at 954-746-0488 to book your supercar into the very best McLaren Mechanic South Florida has to offer.