In the world of luxury sports cars, colors transcend mere appearance—they embody history, prestige, and passion.
Few hues do this better than McLaren’s signature color, Papaya Orange. The story of Papaya Orange begins with Bruce McLaren, the founder of the McLaren Racing Team.
In the 1960s, Bruce sought a color that would stand out on the race tracks. His business partner, Teddy Mayer, believed Papaya Orange “would show up well on the black and white TV screens of the time, and also loom large in the mirrors of rivals,” states McLaren. This look quickly became McLaren’s signature and was associated with successes in F1, Can-Am, Indycar racing, and even Formula 5000 and Formula 2.
McLaren’s signature Papaya Orange made a striking debut on the M6A during the first round of the 1967 Can-Am series, where Bruce McLaren himself clinched the title, marking the beginning of a vibrant legacy. This bold color then graced the Formula 1 scene for the first time at the Race of Champions on March 17, 1968, also marking the first appearance for the DFV-powered M7A. Bruce won this race spectacularly on its first outing. The success continued as his teammate Denny Hulme won the International Trophy just five weeks later.
McLaren’s new signature look made its first World Championship appearance at the Spanish Grand Prix on May 12, followed by Bruce’s first Grand Prix victory at Spa one month later, forever associating McLaren’s Papaya Orange with McLaren’s motor racing history.
McLaren’s signature color is deeply rooted in its racing heritage.
McLaren F1 cars retained the iconic Papaya Orange through the 1969, 1970, and 1971 seasons. During this period, the cars evolved from their traditional cigar tube shape, incorporating darker-hued rear wings and airboxes. The Papaya color also adorned McLaren’s works entries in Formula 5000, where Peter Gethin shone as the star driver.
After four years of sporting the papaya livery in Formula 1, McLaren shifted gears in 1972. However, they preserved a link to their past by keeping the underside of the M19 in their iconic papaya. In 1972, McLaren upheld its tradition by fielding a work F2 car in its signature papaya color for rising star Jody Scheckter, who clinched a win at Crystal Palace. This iconic hue continued subtly in F1, appearing on the sides of the Yardley-sponsored M23 during the early 1970s.
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Notably, in 1973, Denny Hulme and Peter Revson celebrated victories in Sweden, Britain, and Canada with these touches of papaya. Even after switching to the red and white livery of Marlboro and Texaco in 1974, Mike Hailwood’s third McLaren car retained the classic color.
The final appearance of McLaren’s papaya in an F1 race came with Jochen Mass driving the third car at the 1974 US GP. While McLaren transitioned to red and white in 1975, the papaya color lived on in the U.S., particularly in the IndyCar scene after McLaren’s withdrawal from Can-Am in 1973.
Johnny Rutherford was instrumental in making McLaren’s signature color, papaya orange, famous in oval racing. Making headlines with various victories from 1973-1976, Rutherford’s final drive in the signature papaya occurred at Phoenix in November 1976, following sponsorship changes that brought new colors.
However, after McLaren’s deal with Marlboro ended in 1996, the team reintroduced the iconic papaya color for Mika Hakkinen and David Coulthard. The vibrant hue reappeared in 1998 on the MP4-13, and once again in 2006 with the MP4-21, piloted by Kimi Raikkonen and Juan Pablo Montoya.
In 2017, McLaren returned to its Orange Papaya roots. In its third season with Honda hybrid power, the team embraced a livery that featured a darker shade of orange, a tribute to the company’s legacy.
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‘McLaren Orange’. Why orange?
Some say McLaren’s Papaya Orange was chosen to honor a sponsor’s orange livery, while others suggest it was adopted as New Zealand’s national racing colors. Regardless, it certainly made McLaren stand out in the race track. This racing spirit is even more vivid in McLaren’s latest design evolution: the speed mark has adopted a vibrant papaya hue to distinguish McLaren Racing. Discover a masterpiece with McLaren’s signature color at indiGO Auto Group.
