McLAREN M19

McLaren might have been all- conquering in CanAm, but it was finding F1 success rather more elusive. Ralph Bellamy was given the job of coming up with a car that would turn this around, and his advanced aluminium monocoque was a great leap forward. Powered by Cosworth’s mighty DFV V8 driving through a Hewland DG300, and with rising- rate suspension – not to mention a new sponsor, cosmetics company Yardley, on board – there was plenty of optimism in Woking as the 1971 season got underway.

Such optimism soon seemed justified, as Denny ‘The Bear’ Hulme brought it home sixth at Kyalami despite collapsed suspension – the rising- rate set- up was usually replaced with a more conventional system. The hopes were shortlived, however, because although the M19A was clearly quick, it was also fragile. It made the podium only once that year, when Mark Donohue brought home Roger Penske’s privately entered example third at Mosport in Canada.

Success would come, however, even though McLaren would have to wait until the following season. When Kyalami specialist Denny Hulme went back to South Africa in March 1972, he started from fifth on the grid and came home 14 seconds ahead of Emerson Fittipaldi to give McLaren its first Grand Prix victory since Bruce McLaren’s at Spa in 1968.

The ROFGO Collection model is that very car, chassis M19A/2, which served as Hulme’s mount throughout 1971 and for the start of ’72. It was the beginning of a far more encouraging season for McLaren – one that would finish with the Surrey equipe ranking third in the Constructors’ Championship. Even though Hulme moved on to the new M19C after the following Grand Prix in Spain, it was not the end of the season for this chassis, which was then run with some success by both Peter Revson and Brian Redman.

Fully restored for historic racing in recent years, M19A/2 was a notable entry in both the 2006 and 2008 Monaco Historic GPs, and continues to serve as a fine reminder of one of F1’s muchloved and most distinguishably shaped models.