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Speed Addicts: Grand Prix Racing
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How often do you get a chance to drive a vintage McLaren Can-Am car? Pro racer and test driver Gary Sheehan tells us about his first time behind the wheel of the M6B. (Photo: Marshall Pruett) » More Photos
Driving a short, stubby, and rare vintage race car on two year old treaded tires, weighing only 1600lbs, and with 650hp on tap is a joy ride that most sane people would turn down. Thankfully, our test driver and pro racer Gary Sheehan isn't afraid to tackle such an unwieldy beast. In fact, he relished the chance to try and tame the ex-Jo Bonnier vintage Can-Am car. Add into the mix that the estimated value of the car is somewhere over a quarter of a million dollars, and the challenge of driving this McLaren takes on an entirely different dynamic. If he throws it off the track, Sheehan isn't likely to find the replacement parts he'd need at the local NAPA store.
Lacking anything like the modern downforce such cars use to stay glued to the track, the McLaren M6B makes any driver work HARD to extract speed from it. If the gripless tires weren't enough of a problem, the short wheelbase makes the car want to rotate and oversteer at all times when the power is applied. Watching Sheehan feed in doses of opposite lock with the steering wheel isn't a rare occurrence here--it's the norm.
In Gary's first outing in the car, owner Bob Lee let SPEEDtv.com mount our cameras on the beautiful machine from the golden era of 1960's sportscar racing, and deliver a unique view as to what it requires for a professional driver from today get to grips with a forty year old monster McLaren.
CLICK HERE to watch Sheehan wring the life out of the ex-Bonnier McLaren M6B Can-Am car.
Gary Sheehan inspects the 2-year old treaded tires he's about to sample. After two years of sitting, they were more like rocks than rubber. (Photo: Marshall Pruett) » More Photos
My friend Bob Lee invited me up to Infineon Raceway to do some testing and setup work on his 1968 McLaren M6B. This was the car driven by ex-Formula 1 driver (and race winner) Jo Bonnier. The car has over 600hp and weighs in around 1,600lbs. It's an aluminum chassis, which is very different from modern racecars; think of it as sheet aluminum origami secured with rivets. The only "safety cage" to speak of is a not very confidence inspiring main hoop, braced only with a stringer
Let me honest by saying that I currently feel like someone has beaten the crap out of me with a baseball bat. My lats, shoulders, chest, and upper arms are sore from wrestling with the car. I have a bruise the size of a Coke can on my backside from sitting directly on the aluminum floor. Oh, and despite the earplugs, my ears are still ringing. All in all, I couldn't be happier and I wouldn't change a thing. Every muscle ache brings a happy memory back from the drive.
My first session out on Infineon's windy and hilly track was absolute rubbish. It's like I had never shifted a manual transmission before! I was grinding every gear, fighting with it the entire time. I was so focused on shifting the beast that barely any of my attention was focused outside the car. When I would get it in gear I'd put the throttle down and be pinned back against my makeshift seat (seatback insert, foam rubber pad and a rolled up towel!). The sound of the V-8 was awesome and the acceleration was so quick that I barely had any time to enjoy it before I had to fight with the shifter again to grab the next gear.
I think they left me out there for 8-10 laps to get familiar with things. When the Robin Automotive crew (the Sears Point shop that maintains and runs this Can-Am car and many others) called me in I felt absolutely inept. How could I not shift a race car?! Tony Nickelson (head of Robin Automotive) explained that everyone had trouble adjusting to the shifter with the gearbox's huge gears and dog rings, and it was tough to program the brain to slow down the movements while still being firm with the lever, ensuring that the shifter moves ALL the way across the gate. Then people started asking me about the balance of the car and what to change and the only thing I could tell everyone was that I hadn't pushed the car hard whatsoever. I was no where near the limits of the car and still had to acclimate to such a foreign machine. Apparently my fastest lap time that first session was in the 1:43's.
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