McLaren McL 6GT meets Bruce McLaren’s 1969 M6GT | Jay Leno's Garage

Jay gets behind the wheel of Bruce McLaren's personal 1969 M6GT, the race car he built for the street, and gets a first look at the car it inspired: the McL 6GT, McLaren's first manual transmission car since the F1. In 1967 Bruce McLaren's orange M6A won five of six Can-Am races. His next idea was to put that car on the road. The M6GT was the result: a 5.7 liter Chevy 350 V8 making about 370 horsepower, a ZF transaxle, and a car that weighed around 800 kilos. It was a four second car in 1969. Bruce drove it to the races and to pick up groceries. He planned to build a few hundred. When he was killed in 1970, the program ended. McLaren Chief Design Officer Kemal Curic brings both cars to the garage. The McL 6GT is a concept that previews a 2028 production car: a twin turbo V8, a carbon tub, and a true six-speed manual with an exposed titanium linkage. McLaren says it will build 500 and only 500. Kemal walks Jay through the details that tie it to Bruce: the Speedy Kiwi, a Le Mans stripe, a shield honoring Muriwai Beach, and a real metal badge ("Thank you for making a metal badge. It's not a stick-on decal."). Jay takes the M6GT out in 105 degree Los Angeles heat, with no traction control, no ABS, and heavy clutch and steering. "This is what they used to call a man's car." Along the way Jay covers his McLaren F1 and its watch "about the size of a quarter," why the first generation Ford GT went out of production, the 50 years it took to get a mid-engine Corvette, and Phil Hill, the only driver Jay knew who never broke a car. What You'll Learn: - Why Bruce McLaren built the M6GT as a street legal version of his Can-Am race car - How a 370 hp Chevy 350 in an 800 kilo car made the M6GT a four second car in 1969 - Why the M6GT never reached production after Bruce McLaren's death in 1970 - What the McL 6GT concept takes from the M6GT, from the front fenders to the racetrack-shaped lights - Why McLaren is bringing back a six-speed manual for the first time since the McLaren F1 - What the Speedy Kiwi, Le Mans stripe and Muriwai Beach shield mean on the new car - Why Jay says "hybrid" used to mean an American engine in a European chassis Shop car care and detailing supplies from Jay Leno’s Garage: https://www.lenosgarage.com/shine » Subscribe: http://bit.ly/JLGSubscribe THE BEST OF JAY LENO'S GARAGE » Exclusive First Looks: http://bit.ly/JLGExclusives » Ultra Rare Supercars: http://bit.ly/JLGSupercars » Jay's Book Club: http://bit.ly/JLGBookClub JAY LENO'S GARAGE ON SOCIAL Facebook: http://facebook.com/JayLenosGarage Twitter: http://twitter.com/LenosGarage Instagram: http://instagram.com/jaylenosgarage/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@jaylenosgarageofficial ABOUT JAY LENO'S GARAGE A new video every Monday! Visit Jay Leno's Garage, the Emmy-winning series where Jay Leno gives car reviews, motorcycle reviews, compares cars, and shares his passion and expertise on anything that rolls, explodes, and makes noise. Classic cars, restomods, super cars like the McLaren P1, sports cars like Porsche 918 Spyder and Camaro Z28, cafe racers, vintage cars, and much, much more. #Supercars #ClassicCars #ManualTransmission #CanAm #McLaren #BruceMcLaren #McLarenM6GT #McL6GT #JayLenosGarage #JayLeno