Quote:
Originally Posted by RL17
The post asked for opinions.
Ron Dennis and Project 4 only came in as the team was struggling more than 10 years or so after Bruce McLaren died so fairly sure US owned for part.
Ron Dennis was fairly shrewd and kept an awful lot of F1 cars and bought back the Austin and some of the Can-Am cars to help energise the workforce and build a heritage which helps the brands.
1990s road car called F1. The current road cars pretty much all started in 2010, just 13 years ago.
They trot a lot of F1 cars and the odd Can-Am car at Goodwood events (Bruce McLaren connection) and the history does help the brand.
Marketing - like Aston celebrating 100 years of F1 history with tenuous links and only turning up about 5 or 6 years.
I think they’re struggling recently as have sold off the museum cars to Mumtalakat.
Think it’s 180 plus wins in F1 plus 20 championships, 1 of which was the 1968 car and two of the championships in 1970s (James Hunt’s stands out in UK on early period).
So that’s what it’s known for here and Ron Dennis is more synonymous with McLaren F1 team and especially the road cars and Woking (where he made the builders line up all the screw heads perfectly).
Lotus connection with Colin Chapman is so much stronger/longer than Bruce McLarens with the McKaren road cars. As WO’s with Bentley (even though he spent wine with Rolls Royce, Lagonda and his engines have a big connection with AML success in 1950’s). But AML has a long if not successful road car story from London, Feltham, Newport Pagnell, Bloxham, a tractor factory or two plus Wales now.
Lionel Martin and going back to 1913 also pretty tenuous - Bamford probably more involved in early cars. But they were roadcar builders (even if they just built a handful). AML timeline in their small house collection forgets 1935 too!, and steers away from WO.
Jaguar cars has great history through William Lyon’s, Swallow and SS from up North to all over Coventry and midlands and building cars in a former Spitfire factory.
Lotus has until fairly recently had smaller facilities (underdog) in Norfolk (it’s is colour famous there) most of the others but a long road car history compared to McLaren.
McLaren road cars have really only produced cars in any numbers since 2014. Squeaky clean, well made carbon fibre, impractical cars all made in a ultra modern squeaky clean facility associated with Ron Dennis (not the most loved man in F1). Mainly similar looking cars named either 500 or 700 or something. Have ramped up production and chassis now made in Rotherham apparently. So they do lack history and patina so not surprising they make the most of the racing history to stretch their timeline
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Very good post. The OP's use of the word
important is interesting too.
I would say all of the above would have a shout, plus undoubtedly MG and also probably TVR too - both for the numbers sold.
McLaren road cars are also interesting. Look great, and lots of people would have one, including myself, but not too sure too many would buy another, again including myself. Based on not being that great in reality and reliability being very poor. The overall ownership experience is a long way from good.