1969 McLaren M10B Formula 5000

History

Chassis 400-04 history: OldRacingCars.com, Ultimate Car Page #400-04.

Ex-David Prophet.

In 1970, Prophet raced this M10B in the Guards F5000 Championship. He scored a number of top 10 finishes with his best finish being 5th place at the Oulton Park round. Prophet and the McLaren would go on to finish 10th in the Championship.

In 1971, Prophet and the M10B raced in the Rothmans European F5000 Championship. Together they again scored multiple top 10 finishes, with the best results being 4th at Mallory Park, a 5th at Snetterton, and 7th at Monza.  They also finished 10th in the Championship. 

1971 would also see Prophet and the M10B race in the Argentine Grand Prix, finishing 4th place overall and 1st in F5000.

1972 marked Prophet’s third year in a row scoring more top ten finishes with the M10B. His best finishes in the Rothmans F5000 Championship were 4th at Brands Hatch and 6th at Oulton Park: 1972 Rothmans F5000 Championship. Prophet finished 12th in the Championship, and Brian Redman finished 2nd, racing and winning with an M10B.

To see a lovely collection of period photos of Prophet and the M10B racing from 1970-1972, please go to F1 Forgotten Drivers. Please also consider supporting this site and their motorsports research. 

The McLaren went through a series of known owners through the 1980’s. Then, in 1989, Rick Hall (Hall & Fowler) drove the M10B to HSCC Pre-1991 Single Seat Championship. 

In 1991, Bruce Leeson purchased #400-04. They competed in the New Zealand Tasman F5000 Revival Series from 2008-2010, and raced in the 2010 Australian Grand Prix support race. Thereafter Bruce and #400-04 came to the U.S. There they won both the U.S. Formula 5000 Revival Series Championship and the SVRA Vintage Racing National Championship.

Bruce continued to race the McLaren thereafter in the U.S., including The Hawk at Road America (see photo) in 2016. There he and the M10B again finished first in Class A and 3rd overall in the F5000 race. 

Most recently, in 2023, Bruce raced the McLaren in the Rolex Monterey Reunion. There they received the Rolex Award for Overall Excellence. In addition, they finished on the podium, 1st in Class A, and 3rd overall.

To cap the 2023 season, Bruce and the M10B were invited to McLaren’s 60th Anniversary feature at the Velocity Invitational. There they ran with some of the greatest McLaren racing cars in history, along with McLaren luminaries such as Zak Brown, Lando Norris, Pato O’Ward, and many more. Today the M10B remains under the care of one of the Arrow McLaren race engineers in California.

Owners and drivers of this M10B include: David Prophet (1970 -1973); Jim More, Noel Le Tissier, Waring and Gillow, Phil Chapman, Ian Webb, John Pesket, John Beasley and John Harper (1973 – 1988); Rick Hall, Hall & Fowler (1988 – 1989); Richard Schoenfield in NY (1990); and Bruce Leeson beginning in 1991. 

Description

There are 12 hours on the Slade Engines Chevy. It has Lucas mechanical fuel injection atop a McKay intake manifold, with a Vertex magneto. The engine was rebuilt by Bob Slade in 2021 at a cost of $12,000 with no major components replaced except for the titanium values. The typical rebuild window begins at 25 hours.This engine produces 584 h.p. at 8,000 rpm with a maximum torque of 440 at 6,000 rpm. 

The gearbox is a Hewland DG300, fitted new in April 2016. There are approximately 16 hours on it since. New bearings (pinion carrier, side) and the oil pump housing were fitted in 2019. The gearbox has competed in 8 events since 2019.

The McLaren will come with the following gear ratios: 

24/24

18:30 2nd 

23:27

19:25

27:28

26:29

28:28

26:20

19:37 2nd

24:24

23:26

19:25

18:30 2nd 

18:38 First/shaft 

The original monocoque tub is in very good condition with normal wear on the bottom, but no significant damage. In 2012 a skid plate was fitted to prevent any further wear to the tub. The seatbelts are good through 2025. 

Spares include the following (in addition to the gears mentioned above):

Used brake pads

Spare throttle cable

Oil pump and fuel pump belts

Spark Plugs

CV boots

Roll bar links

Used wheel nuts (4)

Rear Wings (2)

Clutch assembly

Wheel socket

New dog ring

The BBS wheels were new in 2015. However, one rear wheel has a slight slight dent in the outer section of the wheel. It has been raced in this condition with no issues, but it is less than perfect and it is recommended that it be replaced.

The McLaren M10 F5000 cars were highly successful in period. The McLaren M10A won the British F5000 Championship in 1969 with Peter Gethin. The M10A model was then upgraded to become the M10B with new engine mounts to lower the car’s center of gravity, plus additional improvements. The weight was also reduced; Ultimate Car Page. 

Thereafter Gethin won the 1970 British F5000 Championship, this time in his new M10B. At that same time, across the Atlantic, John Cannon drove his M10B to win four races and the North American Formula 5000 Championship. The following year David Hobbs claimed five victories with his M10B to win the North American F5000 Championship; OldRacingCars.com F5000 Champions. 

While the foregoing was taking place, on another continent Frank Matich drove his McLaren M10B to victory in the 1970 Australian Grand Prix. Grahame McRae also won the 1970 Tasman F5000 Championship with his McLaren M10B.

Fast forward to today. This McLaren M10B is one of the few remaining authentic, iconic 1960’s era McLaren formula cars from the top echelons of the sport. It is a multiple Championship-winning Class A Formula 5000 car on two continents. It remains professionally prepared by one of the Arrow McLaren IndyCar team race engineers. It doesn’t get much better than that. 

If you already owned this car, you could be at this year’s Long Beach Grand Prix sitting on the grid taking part in the historic 50th anniversary F5000/F1/IndyCar support race for the IndyCar Grand Prix in front of nearly 200,000 people. You would be there in front of all of IndyCar, including the Arrow McLaren team of Pato O’Ward, Nolan Siegel, and Christian Lundgaard. How cool would that be?

We think that with the renewed success of McLaren in F1 and IndyCar, and the massive increase in interest in the sport and the McLaren brand, that this historic McLaren M10B Formula 5000 is a truly amazing buy.

All vehicle descriptions are accurate to the best of our knowledge at the time of writing. Corrections, and supplemental information, are always welcome. Buyers are responsible for confirming vehicle histories, condition, and authenticity to their own satisfaction prior to purchase. Motorsports Market is not the owner of the vehicle and assumes no liability for errors and omissions.

(c) 1996-2025, Motorsports Market. All Rights Reserved.

Photos

Videos

Videos taken at the 2023 Velocity Invitational:

Tasman Revival Historic Formula 5000 race at Eastern Creek Raceway:

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