Papaya Orange

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Bruce McLaren founded Bruce McLaren Motor Racing in 1963. The team's first purpose-built monocoque chassis, the McLaren M6A, debuted in the 1967 Canadian-American Challenge Cup (Can-Am) series finished in Papaya Orange. The color became the team's signature. John Surtees won the Can-Am drivers' championship in 1967, and McLaren won it in 1969.

In Their Own Story

In 1967, the team introduced the M6A at the Canadian-American Challenge Cup, marking a new era of design and performance. The car featured a purpose-built monocoque chassis and was finished in what became the team's signature Papaya Orange livery. Powered by Chevrolet V8 engines with minimal restrictions on aerodynamics and displacement, the M6A proved unstoppable, claiming five victories out of six races that season to secure Bruce McLaren the drivers' championship. The momentum carried into 1969 when driving the M8B, the team achieved a perfect record, winning every single one of the 11 races on the calendar. During this run, McLaren secured his second Can-Am title with six victories compared to Hulme's five, cementing the orange cars as the defining force in Group 7 racing.

Reader's Guide

Papaya Orange is historically associated with McLaren Racing's Can-Am dominance in the late 1960s. The color was revived by the modern Formula One team in the 2010s.

Did You Know?

• John Surtees won the Can-Am drivers' championship in 1967; Bruce McLaren won it in 1969.
• The McLaren M6A won two races in the 1967 Can-Am season.
• Papaya Orange was first used on the McLaren M6A in 1967.