The last of the orange McLarens.

The M14A was the Formula 1 car for 1970. Only three original team M14As were built. The M14A was designed for Bruce McLaren, Gordon Coppuck and Jo Marquart and was essentially, a derivative of the M7 series with several important innovations. The most noticeable change was to mount the rear brakes inboard in an effort to save unsprung weight. Fuel tank size was increased and anti roll bars were tubular to save on weight. The chassis is a full monocoque with aluminum and magnesium paneling bonded to fabricated steel bulkheads, ending behind the rear cockpit bulkhead. The engine was used as a fully stressed chassis member. The M14A ran on 15 inch McLaren cast magnesium wheels.

The M14A’s first race was the South African GP at Kyalami, March 7, 1970. Bruce and Hulme were both driving, with Bruce not finishing, having crashed his car, while Hulme finished an impressive second. The season carried on in this uneven fashion until Bruce’s death just before the Belgium GP. The whole team withdrew from the race at Spa, as not only had they lost Bruce, but Hulme badly burnt his hands in an accident in Indianapolis. The team was back for the next race, the Dutch GP at Zandvoort on June 21, with Dan Gurney taking over for Bruce and Peter Gethin replacing Hulme. Gethin drove his loaned M14/A2 into a bank, badly crumpling the car. To simplify customs paperwork the team swapped the chassis plates of the A2 and A3, meaning that in the German GP on August 2, Hulme was not actually driving the original A2. In Germany Hulme drove the new A2 to a third place. He also drove it at the Austrian, Canadian and United States GPs, retiring in the first two races due to engine failure and managing a seventh in Watkins Glen. 1970 was not a good year for McLaren in Formula 1, not only had they lost Bruce, but they did not pick up a single championship point. Peter Gethin continued to race the new A2 into the start of the 1971 season. He drove to an eighth position in the Spanish GP, and crashed in Monaco.

The car previously in the Mathews Collection was the M14/A3, although it has no chassis tag due to carrying the tag M14/A2 when it was raced. The car is identifiable as the A3 through modifications carried out on its front suspension during the winter period.