Bruce McLaren
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| Born | Bruce Leslie McLaren 30 August 1937 Auckland, New Zealand |
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| Died | 2 June 1970 (aged 32) Goodwood Circuit, West Sussex, England, UK |
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| Formula One World Championship career | |||||||||||
| Nationality |
 New Zealand |
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| Active years | 1958 - 1970 | ||||||||||
| Teams | Cooper, McLaren, Eagle | ||||||||||
| Entries | 104 (100 starts) | ||||||||||
| Championships | 0 | ||||||||||
| Wins | 4 | ||||||||||
| Podiums | 27 | ||||||||||
| Career points | 188.5 (196.5) | ||||||||||
| Pole positions | 0 | ||||||||||
| Fastest laps | 3 | ||||||||||
| First entry | 1958 German Grand Prix | ||||||||||
| First win | 1959 United States Grand Prix | ||||||||||
| Last win | 1968 Belgian Grand Prix | ||||||||||
| Last entry | 1970 Monaco Grand Prix | ||||||||||
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| 24 Hours of Le Mans career | |
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| Participating years | 1959, 1961–1967 |
| Teams |
Cooper Car Company Briggs Cunningham Aston Martin Ford Motor Company Shelby-American Inc. |
| Best finish | 1st (1966) |
| Class wins | 1 (1966) |
Bruce Leslie McLaren (30 August 1937 – 2 June 1970) was a New Zealand race-car designer, driver, engineer and inventor.
His name lives on in the McLaren team which has been one of the most successful in Formula One championship history, winning a total of 8 constructors' world championships and 12 drivers' world championships. McLaren cars totally dominated CanAm sports car racing with 56 wins, a considerable number of them with him behind the wheel, between 1967 and 1972 (and five constructors’ championships), and have won three Indianapolis 500 races, as well as the 24 Hours of Le Mans and 12 Hours of Sebring.
Born in Auckland, New Zealand, Bruce McLaren attended Meadowbank Primary School. As a nine-year-old, he was diagnosed with Perthes disease in his hip that left his left leg shorter than the right.
His parents, Les and Ruth McLaren, owned a service station and workshop in Remuera Rd, Remuera, Auckland; Les McLaren had been a motorcycle racing enthusiast, but gave that up due to an injury before Bruce's birth, and began racing cars at the club level instead. Bruce spent all of his free hours hanging around the workshop and developed his passion during his formative years.
Les McLaren restored an aging Austin 7 Ulster, which 14-year-old Bruce used in 1952 when he entered his first competition, a hillclimb. Two years later, he took part in his first real race and showed promise. He moved up from the Austin to a Ford 10 special and an Austin-Healey, then an F2 Cooper-Climax sports. He immediately began to modify and improve — and master — it, so much so that he was runner-up in the 1957–8 New Zealand championship series.
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