The McLaren M14A was a Formula One car built and raced by McLaren in the 1970 and 1971 World Championship. It was an evolution of the M7A with inboard rear brakes, and it was the car Bruce McLaren’s team raced in the season in which its founder was killed testing a Can-Am car.
McLaren M14A at a glance
| Type | Formula One racing car |
|---|---|
| Seasons | 1970 and 1971 World Championship |
| Engine | Cosworth DFV V8 |
| Gearbox | Hewland five-speed manual |
| Based on | McLaren M7A and M7C |
| Main change | rear brakes mounted inboard instead of outboard |
| Alfa Romeo version | M14D, 3.0-litre V8 from the Alfa Romeo T33 |
| 1970 drivers | Bruce McLaren, Denny Hulme, Dan Gurney, Peter Gethin |
| 1971 drivers | Peter Gethin, Jackie Oliver |
| 1970 constructors | fifth |
based on one source (English Wikipedia).
History of the McLaren M14A
The M14A was developed from the M7A and M7C, and the main change from those cars was that the rear brakes were mounted inboard rather than outboard. Like the M7 it used a Cosworth DFV V8 with a Hewland five-speed manual gearbox.
The 1970 season began with two second places, a fourth and three retirements for Bruce McLaren and Denny Hulme. On 2 June 1970 Bruce McLaren was killed at Goodwood while testing the new M8D Can-Am car, and McLaren withdrew from the Belgian Grand Prix, held five days later. Hulme had already been injured in a methanol fire while practising for the Indianapolis 500. Dan Gurney and Peter Gethin drove at the Dutch Grand Prix, and when Hulme returned in France he replaced Gethin; Gurney raced once more before Gethin took over for the rest of the year. Hulme took three third places, and McLaren finished fifth in the constructors’ championship.
Andrea de Adamich started 1970 in an Alfa Romeo-powered M7D and switched to the M14D, which used the same 3.0-litre V8 from Alfa Romeo’s T33 sports car, for the Dutch Grand Prix. In 1971 Peter Gethin began the season in an M14A while Denny Hulme raced the only M19A then built; after two retirements and an eighth place in Spain Gethin was also given an M19A. The M14A came out of retirement for Jackie Oliver, who retired once and finished ninth and seventh, ending the car’s career.
Design and features
- Inboard rear brakes: the main change from the M7, reducing unsprung weight at the rear.
- Cosworth DFV: the standard Formula One engine of the era, paired with a Hewland five-speed gearbox.
- Alfa Romeo option: the M14D was commissioned by Alfa Romeo’s Autodelta competition department and ran the T33’s 3.0-litre V8.
- Straightforward development: an evolution of proven cars rather than a new design, which kept it competitive in a difficult season.
McLaren M14A versions
- M14A (1970–1971): the Cosworth DFV car raced by the works team.
- M14D: a standard M14A fitted with the Alfa Romeo 3.0-litre V8 and run by Autodelta for Andrea de Adamich.
The M14A was replaced in the works team by later designs such as the M23; Bruce McLaren was killed testing the M8D Can-Am car. More cars are in the McLaren collection.
Video: 1971 McLaren M14A Formula 1 Nordschleife Onboard
Video by YouTube on YouTube.
Sources
- McLaren M14A, English Wikipedia: design, seasons, drivers, results
