1: The beginning (1950)

Company founder Bruce McLaren discovered a love for cars early on. In 1950, the 13-year old New Zealander talked his father (both pictured) into converting a 1929 Austin Ulster into a race car. The two years spent working on the project taught McLaren the basics of building a performance car.

At only 15, he set the fastest time in the 750cc category at the Muriwai Beach Hill Climb in the family Ulster. McLaren travelled to Europe in 1958 to begin his racing career. He founded Bruce McLaren Motor Racing in 1963 and the team quickly morphed into a full-blown Formula 1 effort.

By the 1980s, McLaren had become a household name in the tight-knit racing community, one with numerous victories under its belt and a reputation for innovation.