Forget A Mid-Life Crisis, McLaren's Celebrating 50 Years With Fast Cars & Carbonfibre

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In 1963, New Zealander Bruce McLaren founded a motorsport team that would go on to become one of the most successful Formula 1 marques in the sport's illustrious history. McLaren is a genuine legend of Formula 1 - his engineering foresight and driving ability laid the ground work for the company's ongoing success.

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McLaren, an already successful racing driver, left the Cooper team for whom he was racing alongside Jack Brabham. By 1966 McLaren was back in Formula 1, this time racing a car with his name on the side. Troubled by reliability in the early days, McLaren's natural ability as an engineer and designer finally saw reliability breed success with a switch to Cosworth Ford engines.

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In 1970, with the McLaren team becoming a force to be reckoned with, tragedy struck. As well as F1, the team were also competing in the insane Can-Am racing championship. Losing control while testing one of these cars at Goodwood Motor Circuit, Bruce McLaren died as his car hit a trackside bunker at high speed. He was just 32.

To do something well is so worthwhile that to die trying to do it better cannot be foolhardy. It would be a waste of life to do nothing with one's ability, for I feel that life is measured in achievement, not in years alone.

Following McLaren's death, Teddy Mayer took over as team principal and led the team through further successes. In 1974, McLaren won both the constructors' championship and the drivers title with Emerson Fittipaldi behind the wheel. James Hunt then went on to win the 1976 title in an enthralling season-long battle with Niki Lauda - the subject of soon to be released movie Rush.

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For the 1981 season, the ever-innovative McLaren - now with Ron Dennis at the helm - introduced the first carbon composite Formula 1 car to the field, called the MP4/1. The team remained successful on track, but went without championship silverware until 1984, when Niki Lauda took the honours, followed by Prost in '85 and '86. But it was 1988 that saw the introduction of one of Formula 1's most iconic racers - the MP4/4.

Now housing a Honda turbo V6 that produced 900bhp, it dominated its debut season in Formula 1, taking 15 out of 16 race wins. In that one season with Prost and Senna behind the wheel, it took first and second place 10 times, and the Constructors' Championship with 199 points - almost 3 times more than second place, and 2 points off the combined total of every other constructor's points for the year.

In 1995 McLaren signed a deal with Mercedes to provide the team engines. The partnership lasted until 2009, when Mercedes took over the Brawn GP outfit, however they will continue to supply engines to McLaren until 2015, when McLaren will return to a Honda powerplant.

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Back in 1969, just prior to his death, Bruce McLaren had unveiled the company's first road going car - the M6GT - and drove the Can-Am based prototype as his daily driver. Following his death the project was shelved, but in 1993 his dream to build the ultimate road going sports car was realised posthumously. The McLaren F1 was unleashed on the world.

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The F1 was, and still is, a technological marvel. It was designed by Gordon Murray, clearly compelled by the spirit of Bruce McLaren himself, to be the ultimate road car. While it incorporated the typical low weight, high power ethos preferred by most sports cars, it was implemented with the same incredible attention to detail that had brought such success in Formula 1.

It was the world's first carbon fibre road car, and to protect it the engine bay was lined with gold foil to provide heat insulation. Further proof of the unwavering dedication to creating a proper driver's car comes in the form of a centrally mounted driver's seat. Murray had wanted Honda to provide a V12 or V14 engine derived from the powerplant in the McLaren F1 cars, but without any joy the F1 ended up with a 6.1-litre V12 BMW engine that chucked out 627 horsepower. This was enough for the F1 to take the crown as the fastest ever production road car, topping out at an incredible 242.95mph. This record stood until the Bugatti Veyron hit 253.81mph in 2005.

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In 2009, McLaren decided to take the fight to Ferrari off the track. The MP4-12C was the first road-going car to feature a bespoke McLaren engine - a 3.8-litre twin-turbo unit that creates 616bhp. It features F1-sourced technology around the carbon MonoCell and active aerodynamics. While it is often knocked for a lack of character, it is epically capable, providing scintillating performance as well as a saloon-beating ride.

Next up on McLaren's relentless charge to take over the sports car market is the P1 - a hybrid hypercar that creates a whopping 903bhp. Power comes from a heavily revised version of the 3.8-litre V8 found in the 12C, producing 727bhp, while electric KERS technology adds an extra 176bhp to your last ditch overtaking manoeuvre.

As mighty oaks from little acorns grow, so does mighty motorsport domination emerge from a south London shed. McLaren's humble beginnings only serve to amplify the incredible triumphs they have achieved, and the future looks set to be similarly rosy for the Woking-based outfit. So here's to McLaren, and another 50 years of British excellence in engineering.