McLaren has revealed a new logo for its next-generation cars, taking inspiration from the signage on founder Bruce McLaren's New Zealand workshop.
The minimalist new 'wordmark' will feature across all the company's cars, merchandise and digital channels going forward, as the brand embarks on an era of dramatic expansion and diversification.
It has been revealed days after McLaren announced plans to expand its UK business with a second factory, to start building its own engines in-house, and to grow its line-up by adding new front-engined models that feature two rows of seating, including an SUV.
The first car to wear the new branding is the McL 6GT, revealed last month at Monterey Car Week in California, and future models will follow in having the brand's name spelled out across their rear.
The logo itself is adapted from the one that featured atop the family workshop in Auckland, New Zealand, owned by the parents of company founder Bruce McLaren – who developed his interest in cars and engineering while helping in the workshop.
McLaren claims that it was in this workshop that Bruce built "the racing car that would take him to his first victory" – a modified Austin Seven that he took to a comfortable win in an event at Muriwai Beach.
Chief creative officer David Woodhouse cited Bruce McLaren's "maverick spirit" as a primary influence in the company's repositioning and said the rebranding is partly aimed at promoting and celebrating the founder's legacy.
"This has been about finding ourselves - coming back to what is essentially us, our founder, the basis of our brand and our mark," he said at a preview event for the new look. "There's been a period of not recognising our founder, not showing him, and we wanted to come back to this great foundation of what we're about."
However, he said that while McLaren took inspiration from the eponymous workshop in its rebranding process, and from Bruce's first road car in creating the new McL 6GT, "I would caution everyone that this is not a retrospective action – this is not just a retro interpretation of who we are.
"This is all about the future, and the meaning behind the wordmark is about future intent of putting us where we need to be."
He told Autocar that he would "not describe the name or the car as retro - I think you need to be very clear about that".
Instead, he explained, it is "finally an acknowledgement of our founder.
