- New' M6GT created from the ground up, using existing chassis.
- MSO combined restored components and bespoke elements.
- 'Tribute to the beginnings of the company' says McLaren.
McLaren will roll out an "authentic" restored M6GT at this week's Goodwod Festival of Speed in the UK (July 9-12), alongside a range of heritage and contemporary cars.
Kiwi motor racing legend Bruce McLaren formed a plan to create a road car based on hs M6A racing programme in the late-1960s. He even used the first prototype as his personal transport. But the project was shelved when he was killed in a testing accident on June 2, 1970 at the Goodwood Circuit.
Only a handful of M6GTs were produced. McLaren's own car (finished in red) survives to this day in a private collection.
"The M6GT: Restored by MSO" to be unveiled was created by McLaren Special Operations (MSO), produced using original body moulds and reference materials held in McLaren’s archives.
MSO constructed the car from the ground up, combining restored components and freshly engineered one-offs to remain faithful to the original; paint, finishes and many details were revisited and re‑engineered from original materials and photographs.
The chassis is from a period M6A racer, verified against historic McLaren reference vehicles, in keeping with the original vision.
“The M6GT: Restored by MSO has been a labour of craft and care for the team and served as both a technical education and a living reminder of Bruce’s ambition to take McLaren beyond the racetrack," says Jon Simms, director of MSO.
"This car occupies a unique place in our collection – a tribute to the very beginnings of the company and a spiritual education for its future.”
The M6GT: Restored by MSO uses a period-correct engine and gearbox, and the small-block V8 is fitted with "camel hump" cylinder heads in line with the original specification.
The bodywork was recreated using original moulds uncovered in the UK. Examination revealed evidence of historical modification within the moulds themselves – a quiet record of the design’s evolution during the original programme.
At the centre of the car sits the original 1970s M6GT race car-derived cockpit. Around it, hidden structural elements were hand-fabricated by MSO specialists, including the roll hoop, rear frame support structure, internal clam reinforcement and wiring harness.
The suspension is original M6GT hardware, restored and rebuilt. Many of its components required the sourcing of imperial-era bearings, specified to standards that are no longer in regular production.
Original-style closed aluminium dome rivets were used throughout, installed by specialists from the aerospace industry.
The gearknob is a hand-turned solid walnut component, created to match the original design, while the seats are trimmed in custom vinyl with stitched heat-seam detailing in a matching green tone – a nod to McLaren’s racing heritage.
Scans of the windscreen shape were sent to a specialist supplier in order to recreate the unique profile of the M6GT’s bespoke design.
The one-off car is finished in a bespoke cream-based white colour, named "Colnbrook" in homage to the factory where McLaren developed his road car thinking. It was located under the flightpath to London Airport, (later Heathrow), as he wanted to be near his day job without losing a minute when jetting off to races.
The Colnbrook white exterior and green interior colour scheme is inspired by the livery of Bruce’s first McLaren Formula 1 car (the 1966 M2B), which was finished in white with a green stripe.
Aside from The M6GT: Restored by MSO, Mclaren highlights at Goodwood include a 1968 M8A Can Am racer, an Auston 7 Ulster from Bruce McLaren's earliest racing days, an F1 GTR and the new W1.
McLaren’s presence at Goodwood will also include the public debut of the MCL-HY, the new-for-2027 24 Hours of Le Mans and World Endurance Championship challenger, and the race-going variant of the MCL-HY GTR, a client track car.
On Thursday July 9, McLaren says it will also reveal "the high point of its current supercar era that will delight superfans". Further details to come.
