Built by McLaren Special Operations, three special examples of the McLaren 720S will be built.
It’s a Belgian tribute to a New Zealander, by way of a British supercar. McLaren of Brussels is ordering three special cars to honour the McLaren team’s first Formula 1 Grand Prix win.
Bruce McLaren’s Formula 1 debut happened back in 1959, alongside Jack Brabham in the Cooper F1 team. It didn’t take the Kiwi driver long to hit stride, winning his first race that same year. The US Grand Prix. McLaren set out on his own in 1966, starting the team that still bears his name.
In 1968, that team finally cracked the top spot on the F1 podium. With Bruce behind the wheel, and a Cosworth DFV V8 behind the driver, the team won the Belgian Grand Prix at the legendary Spa circuit. It was no small feat, making the driver only the third in F1 history to win a Grand Prix while driving a car that he designed and built.
That Belgian win is why the Brussels dealer decided to have the special edition cars commissioned. Built by McLaren Special Operations, three special examples of the McLaren 720S will be built. Dubbed the 720S Spa 68 Collection, each of the three cars is finished in the MSO Bespoke Anniversary Orange paint colour. It mimics the scheme of the original 1968 racer.
The tribute details are found in more than just the paint, though. Pop open the doors and take a look at the extended carbon fibre sill covers. They’re wearing a “1st McLaren F1 victory Belgian Grand Prix 9th June 1968 – Bruce McLaren” inscription. McLaren has even painted the ignition keys of each car in Anniversary Orange. Plus they’re sporting a silver Spa 68 text. Special twin-spoke black wheels set of that bright orange paint on the outside. Take a look in the cabin and there is black suede with exterior-matching orange contrast trim.
Finally, embroidered in the headrest and on the bodywork just in front of the rear wheel arch is what looks like it might be a poo emoji. It’s not. That’s a map of the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps. The circuit where McLaren took the first win. If it doesn’t look familiar, that’s because it probably isn’t. The first win didn’t happen on the modern 7.0-km circuit. It was on the Old Circuit. 14.1 km of largely public roads, with little to no trackside safety changes. Where drivers averaged 240 km/h for an entire lap, taking corners at not quite flat-out but close enough to it to give even the most committed driver pause.
Power is unchanged from the standard 720S, with a 4.0L twin-turbo V8 making 710 hp and 568 lb-ft of torque.
McLaren says that two of the three cars have already been claimed, but the third is probably gone by now too. It’s another example of what the supercar maker and F1 team’s special operations division can do to make these cars even more special for their customers.
+2 Close Photos
Keyword: Bright Orange McLarens Honour Team's First F1 Win