Considered one of the most successful race cars to ever compete in IndyCar racing, the M16 was designed by Gordon Coppuck, who drew inspiration from the pioneering Lotus Type 72 Formula 1 car. Debuting at the 1971 Indianapolis 500 the M16 proved to be by far the fastest car, taking three of the top four places in qualifying with Peter Revson in one of the works cars eventually finishing the race in 2nd. Place.
McLaren built three M16Cs for the 1973 IndyCar season. The M16C was little changed from the original M16 apart from the addition of an engine cover to smooth airflow back onto the larger rear wing. The wedge shape layout, a step change from IndyCar designs of the period, was ideal for continuous high-speed running producing a high level of downforce at the front which that was balanced with a large wing at the back. The tapering nose and chassis forced the radiators to be relocated from the front of the car to either side of the rear of the chassis monocoque.
The Offenhauser 4-cylinder Turbo engine was installed as a semi-stressed member bolted to the rear bulkhead and supported by tubular A frames on either side. McLaren decided on a Hewland LG500 four speed as the lower 1st and 2nd gears gave better acceleration out of the pit lane over most of the cars using two speed transmissions.
M16C-2 was Revson’s 1973 McLaren Team car that he qualified on pole at both Pocono and Ontario. McLaren sold the car to a privateer, Salt Walther at the end of the 1973 season. Walter raced it through 1974 and 1975, and David Hobbs ran the car at the 1976 Indy 500. Jerry Karl purchased the car in 1978 and converted it to Chevy V8 power running it in the 1980 Indy 500 where it placed 21st. Karl ran again at Indy in 1982 finishing a respectable 15th place, impressive for a 19-year-old car.