The Second Year

For 1969 the M8 was developed with the high wing, other refinements and nearly 700bhp and became the M8B. Denny’s M8A-2 was upgraded and modified to the “B” specs and assigned as the team’s spare car for 1969.

At Michigan Speedway, Jack Brabham tried out the M8A-2 in practice and qualified the car, but Dan Gurney took over the car for the race, wearing race # 1. Dan passed twelve cars on the first lap and finished third to give the team an historic one, two, three win.

At the next meeting at Laguna Seca, Chris Amon had oiling problems with the Can-Am Ferrari 612P, so he went to see his old kiwi friend about a drive in the spare car. This time M8A-2 wore the #3. Starting from the back of the grid, Chris passed thirteen cars in the first two laps and was racing through the pack when the differential broke.

At the next round at Riverside, Bruce had a bad smash when a rear wishbone broke, heavily damaging his car. He took over the spare car for the final round two weeks later at the Texas International Speedway. This time M8A-2 wore Bruce’s own #4. The Texas track was a banked tri oval circuit and for the first time the Can-Am cars were able to really stretch their legs to over 200 mph. Bruce went on to win this race when Denny’s engine died with eleven laps to go. Bruce had also won the 1969 Can-Am Championship and was clocked at 210mph on the banked circuit.

As was quite the normal practice for the team, at the end of the season some of the works team cars were “tidied up” and sold to the Americans. When offered for sale, M8A/B –2 was very quickly purchased by Lothar Motschenbacher.

The Third Year

Lothar’s first race of the season was at Mosport on June 14th 1970, just twelve days after Bruce had died at Goodwood whilst testing the M8D. Motschenbacher tangled with Jackie Oliver and crashed heavily. In ten days Lothar and his team rebuilt the car for the St Jovite, Quebec round, replacing “nearly everything but the instrument panel”. His team’s work paid off, for after Denny retired with overheating, Lothar came in second to Dan Gurney in the works McLaren M8D.

Motschenbacher retired at Watkins Glen with a broken half shaft, but came back with an excellent third place at Edmonton two weeks later behind Hulme and Peter Gethin. The Mid Ohio race at Lexington was another excellent showing for a privateer, with Lothar number two on the grid and finishing third behind Hulme and Peter Revson. However, at Elkhart Lake in Wisconsin, his luck changed. Lothar went off through the trees, hitting an embankment and effectively writing off the now red M8B. Investigations showed that a left rear wheel spindle had snapped. Two weeks later, Lothar was back in a new McLaren M12 Can-Am car and the two year old, badly damaged M8A/B was parked at the back of the workshop.

This then was the end of M8A-2s highly successful racing career.

The Show Car Years

With McLaren dominating the Can-Am Series, Goodyear, as one of the major sponsors, decided in the early 70s that for advertising purposes they needed a ‘show car’. Denny Hulme was approached for advice and it was suggested that they approach Lothar Motschenbacher.

By this time Lothar had accumulated various McLarens, including Denny’s M8D-1.

It was agreed that Lothar would “put together” an M8D show car, based on the old damaged M8A-2 tub and so the next part of the story begins. The damaged tub and bulkheads were “dollied up”, a “grenaded block” formed the basis of the dummy engine and an empty Hewland gearbox was attached at the rear. With a fine set of induction stacks, a collection of all sorts of genuine McLaren parts, new wheels and tyres and a genuine M8D body, also from Denny’s car, old M8A-2 rolled out in all her new found glory and became the Goodyear Show Car.

However, show cars also pass their “use by date” and eventually after it had finished its promotional tours, Goodyear gave the car back to Denny Hulme.

Bruce and Denny racing M8Bs

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