The McLaren M8D
The McLaren M8D was developed for the 1970 Can-Am season. Due to the large fins which supported the rear spoiler, the car was nicknamed the 'Batmobile'. It was powered by a 7.6 litre Reynolds Aluminum Chevy V8, producing 700 hp. Tragically, the M8D was the car that claimed the life of Bruce Mclaren during a test session at Goodwood on June 14th, 1970. Despite the tremendous loss, the team soldiered on. Teamed with Dan Gurney, and later with McLaren F1 driver Peter Gethin, Denny "The Bear" Hulme won the 1970 Can-Am Championship. Hulme's future teamate Peter Reveson won the 71 season, seeing McLaren win the Championship every year from 1967-1971, establishing the teams absolute dominance over the Can-Am series.
 | This 1978 American Victory HotWheels was loosely based on the McLaren M8D, and was aquired on eBay for $6 including shipping. The same paint will be used to replicate the McLaren team colour , Tamiya TS-56 Brilliant Orange. These late 70's Hotwheels were produced with plastic bases. Care must be taken when drilling out the rivets, as the drill bit has a tendancy to skip off the rivet,and dig into the plastic, which can make reassembly difficult. |
 | The plastic bases usually need to be painted. This base was repainted in silver, and the cockpit was repainted in flat black. The sides of the base will be painted in orange, so the entire side of the car is the same colour. A set of wheels will be sourced to match, with a smaller diameter up front. The Red Line Shop has a new set of Large/Medium Real Riders that may work. The decal set ordered from Pattos Place for the McLaren M6 also included the decals required to recreate the #5 car of Denny Hulme. |
At the right is a picture of the progress, with temporary wheels in place. The more suitable wheels on the finished product were sourced from The Redline Shop. |  |
