When Bruce McLaren got behind the wheel of the aluminium-and-balsa-wood M2B for his company’s first Formula 1 race at the 1966 Monaco GP, he said he “expected bells to ring and trumpets to blow.”
Instead, he had to cut holes in his Hush Puppies to replace his forgotten driving shoes before bowing out of the race after 10 laps because of an oil leak.
Despite the inauspicious debut, McLaren would go on to become one of the most hallowed names in F1 competition over the following five decades (eight championship seasons among them), an honor they’ll celebrate later this year with the release of the one-off 570S M2B Coupe.
Hand-built and meant to serve as an introduction to McLaren’s new Sports Series range, the 570S is strong and durable, but also exceptionally light on its feet thanks to carbon fiber MonoCell II, the primary material utilized in its construction.
The 562 HP model is powered by a 3.8-liter turbocharged V8 engine that produces almost double the power of the M2B, and can boost the 570S from 0-62 in 3.2 seconds as well as provide a tasty top speed of 204 MPH.
And while it’s a bit of a shame McLaren didn’t go with gold for their 50th, we think the green and white works quite nicely.
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