MCLAREN MEMORABILIA

Good morning! Further to Donn Anderson’s excellent article on Bruce’s M6GT in the March issue [Motorman, No. 339], let me tell you a tale!

In the early ’70s, I came to know Bruce’s mum and pop quite well and regularly called on them at home in Te Atatu. After one visit and as we were leaving, Pop said, “come into the garage …” And there was the M6GT and the maroon 3.8 Jaguar that Bruce had brought home for pop (and which now lives in Melbourne). The opportunity to be so close to a genuine piece of Mclaren history was very special. We left the garage but pop stayed behind, coming out a few minutes later with something in his hand. “I think you might like this,” [he said,] and presented me with the steering-wheel centre badge from Bruce’s own M6GT! I

couldn’t believe it, and there it is on page 68 in the interior shot. The badge is now framed, with a genuine Mclaren chassis plate and Bruce’s autograph (I had the honour of meeting Bruce in 1968) in my study here in Melbourne. They accompany my own ‘Mclaren Collection’ of 64 of the cars that Bruce owned, built or raced, in 1:43 scale, from Austin Ulster to M8D.

Thank you for the article which will go into my library of all things Mclaren.

It was also a pleasure to see the photo of the NZNAC [New Zealand National Airways Corporation] hangar at Taieri on page 36. I worked with NAC in the ’70s, something of which I am immensely proud.

With kind regards …

Stewart Garmey

Vic., Aust.

Thanks, Stewart, a classic