For Sale: 1972 McLaren M8F

Images & history via Girardo & Co

This mighty McLaren M8F is one of twelve built, competing in the 1972 and 1973 Interserie Championships with Team VDS at the hands of Teddy Pilette. It’s up for sale at Girardo & Co.

The car, chassis M8F-6-72, was delivered to Count Rudy van der Straeten of Team VDS in mid-1972. The team had been running an M8E in the Interserie Championship and would run this car in the 1972 competition. Taking advantage of the lack of regulation on engine size, they fit the M8F with a Moteurs Morand 7,500cc big block Chevrolet V8, pumping air into it with twin Garrett turbochargers.

Belgian Theodore “Teddy” Pilette was given the keys, and in 1972 would compete at the Osterreichring, Hockenheimring, where he’d score a season-best third outright, the Norisring street circuit and the Nürburgring.

In 1973 the car received a new nose section that raised the centre and included round air intakes to keep the big brakes cool. This time, the team went further afield, competing at the Hockenheimring, Norisring and Nürburgring in Germany as well as heading to Imola and Silverstone.

Following the 1973 season the car entered retirement and was sent to the Trojan Racing museum, where it was placed on display. It also made an appearance at Tom Wheatcroft’s Donington Grand Prix Collection museum in England.

It would come out of retirement when purchased by Charlie Agg, who restored it to run in the Steinberger Supersport Series, giving it a slightly more tame naturally aspirated Chev V8 in the process. Victory Myette took custodianship of it in 1997, competing in the Supersports Cup, before passing it on to Michiel Campagne who ran it in the Interserie Revival and Masters Can-Am events.

2005 saw chassis M8F-6-72 receive McLaren by Trojan Verification, which called it “The most original chassis in existence. Clean unquestionable provenance. The most authentic and original M8F in the world.” Its current owner took ownership in 2014, competing in Australia at the Phillip Island Classic and Adelaide Motorsport Festival before sending it back to England.

For the full details and history, see Girardo & Co’s website here.

Images & history via Girardo & Co