McLaren’s new Corporate Identity
McLaren has a new brand identity, and thankfully, it’s not a case of changing something just for the sake of changing it. The British marque is rolling out a new look across its road-car and racing divisions, bringing them under one more unified identity.
In simple terms, McLaren road and race cars will now wear the same logo. And there’s actually some nice history behind the new wordmark. It takes inspiration from the sign above the McLaren family’s Service Station in Remuera, Auckland, the very same garage where Bruce McLaren built the car that would take him to his first race win.
The marque is retaining the Speedmark logo with Papaya as the core brand colour, but it’s now joined by an expanded palette drawn from moments in the brand’s history. The Speedy Kiwi symbol is retained too, honouring Bruce McLaren’s New Zealand roots.
David Woodhouse, Chief Creative Officer of McLaren Automotive, regards it as a reflection of the company’s journey and the start of “a new chapter.” And that could mean quite a lot. The brand recently confirmed a £500 million investment (around R10.8 billion at current exchange rates) in its UK manufacturing and engineering operations. More importantly, the company is preparing to expand its product portfolio beyond the traditional two-seat supercars we have come to know it for, with a performance SUV also on the way.
So, the new logo might just be the most visible sign of what’s coming. The timing of the new identity also couldn’t be better. McLaren is entering a new phase, and there is a lot happening across both its road-car and racing operations. This year, the brand has been looking back at Bruce McLaren’s original vision of the M6GT, while the brand new McL 6GT carries that idea into the modern era.
On the racing side, McLaren’s Formula 1 team reached its 1,000th Grand Prix at this year’s Monaco Grand Prix, while the company also confirmed its return to the FIA World Endurance Championship’s Hypercar class, putting it on a path towards competing for motorsport’s unofficial Triple Crown.
Is the change unnecessary? No. There’s something quite fitting about the new identity, especially when you consider where the inspiration comes from. And if this really is the start of a new chapter for McLaren, we’re rather curious to see where the story goes next. Especially with an SUV on the way, McLaren is finally entering the segment that Ferrari, with the Purosangue, and Lamborghini, with the Urus, are already cashing in on.
