Both companies share heritage, but no longer common ownership

By Gary S. Vasilash

Although this is a bit tricky in terms of names and history, McLaren was founded in 1963 by Bruce McLaren as an F1 racing team, Bruce McLaren Motor Racing. It had a name change in 1981 to simply McLaren Racing.

McLaren Cars was established in 1985. It had a name change to McLaren Automotive in 2010.

McLaren Group, an umbrella organization, was established in 1985, encompassing both operations.

However. . .

In March 2024 McLaren Group was acquired by Baharain’s sovereign wealth fund, Mumtalakat Holding Company.

In December 2024 CYVN Holdings, based in Abu Dhabi, purchased McLaren Automotive. So it is out of the Group but the racing team is still in the Group.

All of that said, McLaren has revealed a new brand identity that encompasses both McLaren Automotive and McLaren Racing.

There continues to be the boomerang like Speedmark:

But there is a new wordmark, which is based on a sign that was used at Bruce McLaren’s parent’s service station in Remuera, Aukland, New Zealand:

In announcing the new visual identity both firms made statements:

“There is something uniquely special about McLaren. Throughout our history, we’ve never been content to follow established paths. We’ve always looked ahead, driven by a restless desire to innovate, create and push beyond expectations. This evolution of our visual identity captures that spirit. It’s a reflection of the journey we are on as a company. It marks the beginning of a new chapter for McLaren, giving a physical expression to the ambition, creativity and forward momentum that is shaping our future.”
David Woodhouse, Chief Creative Officer, McLaren Automotive

“McLaren has evolved enormously over the years, but looking back through our shared history across Racing and Automotive, it’s poignant how much of Bruce’s original vision and spirit still runs through the business today. This evolved identity perfectly bridges that proud heritage with our future ambition. It celebrates the symbols and stories our fans, partners and team mates already know and love, while giving us a more connected expression of where we’re heading next. It feels unmistakably McLaren.”
Lou McEwen, Chief Marketing Officer, McLaren Racing

It is interesting how the two companies, owned by different companies, apparently continue to share a notion of what they are about.

Bruce McLaren, incidentally, died in 1970 while testing his team’s new McLaren M8D Can-Am car at the Goodwood Circuit.

He was 32.