McLaren M8 B look alike

[Dick Bear]

Russ,

I guess I'm 'johnny come lately' on this but I find the legal issue with the Trust surprising. Shortly into my build I contacted the Trust and shared with photos what I was doing. I got a very pleasant email in return from the Director demonstrating what I have always considered to be genuine interest and encouragement. When I finished the McBearen I sent photos and again received a kind reply.

On the side of the car I modified Bruce's kiwi and NZ crest insignia with a statement of thanks to him that reads, "In tribute to Bruce McLaren". That is in fact what both you and I have done ... We've paid tribute to a great racer, designer, engineer and person.

I'll be the first to say that the car I built is far from what the original was and and that may have been the reason for the different reaction you received. Regardless of the reasons I am disappointed in the Trust's position and agree with everything written by those who support and applaud your fantastic accomplishment.

Dick Bear

 

[kiwi ka]

Dick
Personalities and ego`s are a mysterious subject. I have got used to the McCopy part now and the funny thing is nobody sees it, all they see is that its a Mclaren and those that do see and ask why, think they are just being wooly.
Out to the track tomorrow so looking forward to the blast.
Cheers

 

[kiwi ka]

Well Sunday was the kind of day we wanted, what a blast, 6 sprints 5 laps each and just put petrol in. The absolute pleasure of just being able to learn to drive the car and appreciate what was happening was just amaizing. First run and a bit TOO kean saw me adjust the brake bais a bit more to the rear as I locked up the fronts and chased my tail... couple of milliseconds panic then the brain kicked in with the message to just steer the bloody thing and away we went back in control. We basicly started the next runs from the front and dispeared off into the distance. Still not using more than 5500 rpm and that is 120mph in 4th with one more gear to go and that will come when I am completly settled in the car. As I drive it I notice little tweeks like increasing rear shock rates harder, perhaps slightly larger master cylinders to decrease pedal travel and firm the `feel` along with increasing the surface area of the accelerator to allow heel and toe. I also need to improve my left hand lateral support to improve my seating position.The car feels really stable all round I do not think I can improove on the basic wheel alignment from what I have set up, with the exception of removing some of the front wheel camber as the inside of both fronts are allways warmer than the outers. I will need to talk to some experts first then get the carbs tuned properly as they are a little rich and cackle a bit, still it makes a great sound so much so that
The alignment set up is as follows.
Front castor=5`
camber 13mm
Toe 3mm (total)
Rear castor=0`
camber 10mm
Toe 3mm (total)
Tyre pressure 20 psi.
I feel that tyre pressure could go down to maybe 18psi.
Over all when I saw the pictures of the car on the track, we were taken with the thought of what fields of 30 to 40 cars must have been like. You could almost expect history to step out of the car.
Yes I am chuffed.
Russell

 

[Neal]

Well done!

 

[Leon]

Hi Russel......Saw the photos of the car on Terrys build site and they do look like you are having fun. Unfortunately the Sunday of Easter was the day my friends were flying back to Aus so had a brunch with them and was unable to sneak out to Puke for a look at your car and see how it goes. I was hoping to have had more progress on mine this time home but time just seems to vanish. I did collect some brakes and front hubs and started the rear hub and stub axle. I have decided to use R33 Skyline front stubs and mount them in a fabricated upright thant should closely ressemble the M20 unit and also use R33 calipers and Disc's on all corners, They are cheap and they are BIG (2 things I like) I guess I could start my build log and explain my path and bits I'm using and start getting some feed back from the forum members.
Anyway, sorry to miss you at Puke, I'm back at work now but will be driving to Auckland in early July and then flying out so may be able to catch you at home then.
Cheers Leonmac

 

[ali grey]

Hi Russel,i read the article in the Classic car mag ,congratulations nice bit of icing on the car-ke project,well done.will try and catch up with you sometime and check out the finished project,would be keen to hear the sound of it.
cheers Ali

 

[Leon]

Hey Guys,I just came across this very short Vid clip of Russell's car.Turn up the sound and Enjoy.
Cheers Leon

YouTube - McLaren M8B replica at Pukekohe

 

[egoman/ Shawn Wedge]

You could have made it a little longer .

 

[Leon]

That does sound nice!! and Looks the part too. Are you going to put a rear wing on it Russel ? that would finish it of just right, although that might cause you some more greaf as it would really look like the real thing and we know how those McLaren people feal about that. Full credit mate, Looks good and you are have a truck load of fun with it as well. Leon, when are we going to see some more of your car, I have started a build log now and we need these McLarens on the site. and thanks for the vid clip. Cheers Leon.

 

[Leon]

You could have made it a little longer .

Unfortunately I didn't take the footage, it was posted on "Youtube" just the other day.cheer Leon

 

[kiwi ka]

Well the proof is in the printing as they say, finaly got the artical into the magazine and am now feilding calls `why is your Mclaren called a McCopy`. Cover shot and 8 pages and yes I know I am biased but so much more kudos for the McLaren name could have been made if they had accepted that the car has been built as a tribute car, nothing else. I think the cartoonist summed it up pretty well. Silly thing is that a lot of good energy has been lost, never mind I am now enjoying the fruits of my endeavors and it will be interesting to see if the car is allowed any where near next years McLaren reunion here at the new Hampton Downs race track just South of Auckland where they are expecting many `genuine` Mclarens from overseas to compliment the customer car M12 and the rebuilt M8 A that the Mclaren Trust has. Funny it looks just like mine..:lipsrsealed:
Cheers

 

[Terry Oxandale]

Great story, car, and build. Always enjoy your postings and photos!

 

[Dave Bilyk]

Russell,
you could change your name to McLaren:idea::laugh:

regards
Dave

 

[kiwi ka]

Dave
I have had so much fun and positive reaction by calling it the `McCopy` that it almost seems right. Certainly the establishment has lost out on a heap of good will.
Russell

 

[kiwi ka]

Been a bit quiet lately as have sold our house and bought a new project being a 40 years old extreme make over, 150mtrs from the beach and basicly flat with space for a large workshop. Pretty well sorted on the house with omainly winter projects left and have put in my building consent for the workshop. All was going well until they decided that I needed a resource consent read pay them more money to build on land that I own. We will get there and hope to have the floor down in about 6 weeks befor winter sets in. The car is stored up at the beach in the meantime and had its first track outing for almost 12 months at Pukekohe. A very hot day annd apart from running a little hotter that I would have liked , ran faultless. This is the first time I have given it full stick and was pulling 6000rpm in 4th before braking to the hair pin. Still need to sort out my master cylinder ratio as I have more travel and a softer pedal than I would like. The car stops really well and straight but its just that its extra pump that prevents driving it a bit deeper in the turns. At best estimate i am running to about 230kph`s and could easily pass an RS Focus with 245kw`s. Basicly the car will go back into storage and come out again when I have the new workshop built in about 4 or 5 months. I have some good incar video now with sound and once I figure out how to download from the video camera to the recordable DVD and then load it onto a disc then onto U tube, you will be able to see it. Very pleased all round.
Still having trouble with the establishment even though I changed the name and was prevented from even displaying the car at the recent McLaren festival at Hampton Downs so will change the name back to McLarin...bugger them. To add insult, even though they said `no replica`s`, they had a M6 Gt replica on display that had a 4 cylinder in it, not even close. I would have liked to have participated in that event for obvious reasons.
For now its continue on with building the workshop and getting all my toys under the same roof. I will advise when I get the U Tube bit done.
Cheers

 

[Randy V]

Still need to sort out my master cylinder ratio as I have more travel and a softer pedal than I would like. The car stops really well and straight but its just that its extra pump that prevents driving it a bit deeper in the turns.

Good to read you again Russell...

I've not gone back and read the entire blog again to look - but - Have you considered using a pair of 2# Brake Residual Valves in the front and rear brake line circuits? I've had great success in using these even when the master cylinders are higher up than the brake calipers..

 

[Terry Oxandale]

Can't wait to hear and see the video(s). I hate hearing about all the "ancillary" problems with the name and concept of your McL..., but love your car and what you've done.

 

[Andrew Robertson]

Still having trouble with the establishment even though I changed the name and was prevented from even displaying the car at the recent McLaren festival at Hampton Downs so will change the name back to McLarin...bugger them. To add insult, even though they said `no replica`s`, they had a M6 Gt replica on display that had a 4 cylinder in it, not even close. I would have liked to have participated in that event for obvious reasons.

Hi Russell,

same experience here - I applied to enter early in '09 (I was mentally geared up for the mother of all build projects in an impossible deadline situation - sound familiar?!) and was told that my car would be "much too modern" to enter. I thought my car would be exactly what they were looking for - 7 litre chev, hilborn stacks, body moulding taken off a period car etc - I was straight up with them and told them about the bigger brakes and modern rubber, and that the period looking Hilborn actually was EFI with the rails hidden. Certainly nothing like the radical weapon of an M6 that Jay Esterer ran at SFOS in 2008.

The organisers were polite about it so I shrugged it off - but it was more than a little ironic that McLaren's real legacy - canam - was represented by such a small grid at Hampton Downs, and dominated by the monster March big block car that itself was a bit of an orphan - albeit an extremely impressive bit of kit.

Great to hear your skid at Puke went well and was fun.

Cheers, Andrew Robertson

 

[Leon]

I'm some what bemused by the attitude of the McLaren Trust and HRC. We are all very aware of how they have treated Russell over the McLaren Festival and now to here they treated Andrew the same way. Its no secret that the only dim light of the festival was the lack of entries from the Can-Am cars and you would think with it being such a huge part of the early McLaren story that the Trust would have been happy to see nice cars like Russell's driving around.
I was not able to be there as I was working but friends of mine were and said how great the meetings were. It has been said that the M6GT the "Trust" had on display at there Marquie was a "Replica" and not even a very good one, in Fact i've been told it was powered by a "Frickin FORD telstar" engine and actually died going around the track!!! Now if this is wrong then I will appoligize to Who Ever. If its true (and I believe it is) then this is the worse case of Hypocricy ever. The "Trust" is charged with the Job of keeping the "Ledgend" alive but It seems that They and HRC are more interested in Keeping the "Price of the Ledgend" alive and not the true Ledgend, which was one of True Kiwi Spirit and CAN DO attitude, which is what the Replica Builders are. So Keep it up guys.

Cheers Leonmac

 

[kiwi ka]

Leon
You are indeed correct, in fact it also caught fire....maybe that Ford 4 cylinder was really hot! Also sorry to hear that Andrew had the same treatment and yes the grid would easily have accomodated extra cars..thats what the public paid for, they were happy to take the dollars and attendance for cars like the Custaxie so you have got to wonder what they are on. ( Its also well documented that the origional Custaxi does not exist so there can not be any confusion there.) I had the chance to run the car again at Puke on Thursday as part of an event `RACE FOR LIFE` that we are involved in with the Hospice. As I was just circulating I had a chance to observe what the car actually does rather than chase some bugger, The day was also very hot and I find I am running at maximum water temps for my liking when I consistantly run to 6000rpm so need to get more cold air thru the radiator which i can pinch from under the back or the front wheel well. There is plenty of air beside the cockpit when I stick my hand out to check so dont think the door scoops are not working. I wonder whether timing at highr rpm has any effect also. I need to find some body in Auckland who can both dyno the car and tune carbs as this could also be having an effect. I also noticed that the rear tyres are consistanly warmer on the inside which probaly indicates a little too much camber (10mm) so the question is do I change as the car drives, steers,tracks and stops as good as one could ask, the only possable fault is slightly heavy steering at slow speed on the very tight hairpin.
Quite interesting to note how the cam comes in at around 3200rpm and then really starts working. All in all lots of fun.
Russell