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  Article Image gallery (42) 70-01 Specifications  
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Country of origin:Great Britain
Produced in:1970
Numbers built:1 (10 M8Cs in total)
Designed by:Gordon Coppuck for McLaren
Author:Wouter Melissen
Last updated:November 25, 2015
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Click here to download printer friendly versionOnce the rolling chassis was completed, the M8C was moved to the facility of Broadspeed where the engine installation was overseen by Keith Greene. Here one of the Cosworth DFV engine was fitted that was previously used for Alan Mann's F3L program. It was mated to a Hewland five-speed gearbox. The Cosworth-engined McLaren was equipped with an M8-style fibreglass body complete with a full-width rear wing. As the car was destined for long distance events, it was also fitted with a full set of lights, which were not needed in the Can-Am sprint events.

Entered by Ecurie Evergreen for Chris Craft, the Cosworth-engined M8C debuted at the March, 1970 Thruxton round of the RAC Sports Car Championship. The race ended early due to engine issues. The DFV V8 let the McLaren down again at the international Brands Hatch 1000 km race a fortnight later. At the Vila Real 500km in Portugal, Craft qualified on pole but again failed to reach the finish. The pieces finally fell into place at the Swedish Grand Prix, at Karlskoga, where Craft qualified and more importantly, also finished first.

Ecurie Evergreen only fielded the M8C once in 1971, in the 1000 km race at Buenos Aires where Craft shared the car with Trevor Taylor. They finished ninth after starting 14th. After the race, De Cadenet sold the McLaren, without the DFV engine, to local entrant Nasif Estefano. He fitted the car with a readily available and much more easy to service small-block Ford V8. Campaigned in local events through to early 1973, the unique McLaren racked up two more victories.

While McLaren had hoped to have opened up a new market, there were no further orders for DFV-ready machines. Faced with strong competition from the works Porsche, Ferrari, Matra and Alfa Romeo teams, it would also require too much of an investment to create a purpose-built Group 6 racer. De Cadenet and Craft continued their partnership and throughout the 1970s fielded a variety of DFV-engined sports racers, including the Brabham-based Duckhams and the Lola-built DeCadenets.

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  Article Image gallery (42) 70-01 Specifications