McLaren Logo

McLaren Logo PNG

The emblem elements link the company with the world of sports like racing tracks. Cars created by a race car driver are able to develop great speed in competitions. It is this message that is encoded in the symbols of the McLaren logo.

Meaning and History

The first name of the company is McLaren Cars, which was changed to McLaren Automotive in 2010. Bruce McLaren, the founder of the original structure that formed the basis of the modern company, is from New Zealand. He came to the UK under the Driver to Europe program to help Australian and New Zealand athletes compete in Formula One. And Bruce was very promising since childhood was fond of cars because his parents maintained their service station in Oakland. By the age of 15, the young man had won his first serious race.

The racing career was brilliant in the new place: he became the youngest athlete to receive the US Grand Prix. He was then 22 years old. At first, McLaren raced with other brands of cars. But then he opened Bruce McLaren Motor Racing (in 1963) and built his first sports car, the M1A. This was followed by the M1B (she won 43 Can-Am championship victories) and the M2B (debuted in the Monaco Grand Prix). Moreover, the racer himself designed and tested the cars, focusing on the super-light version of the M6GT. However, the athlete died in an accident in 1970 without completing the project.

In 1985, McLaren Cars appeared, which changed its name to McLaren Automotive (in 2010) because it was mostly inactive. The brand relaunch helped him revitalize and get an investment in a new venture. Initially, it was separated from other structures of the same name, but in 2017, Ron Dennis contributed to their merger, as he sold his shares to the McLaren Technology Group.

The first emblem of a racing car brand appeared as soon as it was founded. It was created in 1963 by designer Michael Turner. He offered a recognizable image of the kiwi bird that lives in the birthplace of the Bruce McLaren racer. This is a tribute to the founder of the company and his label.

What is McLaren?

It is a world-famous British car brand that is famous for its supercars.

1963 – 1967

The author used a shield as the basis of the logo to give it a heraldic shape. He divided the space into four zones of different widths. The largest is the central one, where the kiwi was drawn. The bird was black, contoured, without naturalistic details. She stood with her head down as if she were looking for something. This image is not accidental since the kiwi has powerful legs, and it quickly moves on the ground, deftly overcoming any obstacles. Below, in the narrow part of the emblem, there was an inscription “Motor Racing Team” – the then name of the company. At the very top, on a green field, a racing car was depicted, and under it, on a red stripe, was the name of the brand’s creator – “McLaren.”

1967 – 1981

This version was nicknamed Speedy Kiwi. It showed the head of a bird, half-pressed to the ground and directed forward. She passed kiwi as she sprinted. The black outline with an elongated sharp beak and the same pointed line at the bottom made the logo dynamic and perfectly reflected movement.

1981 – 1991

The author of this version is Raymond Loewy. He proposed a conceptually new emblem, completely different from the previous ones. The transition to a different design is associated with the company’s rebranding, which was named McLaren International. These words were used as the main ones and were ungrouped in two lines: a large inscription – “McLaren,” a small one – “International.” Above them was the triple racing flag, which is usually the starting point. But it is not just checkered: its pattern resembled the tracks from car wheels. This logo was a tribute to the sponsorship of Marlboro.

1991 – 1998

The checkered flag was replaced by only one detail from its drawing – a triangular arrow with a cutout at the bottom. She pointed up obliquely, symbolizing the constant movement forward and up. The word “International” has disappeared from the inscription. The color palette and font remain the same.

1998 – 2003

The developers have replaced the acute-angled element with a rounded arc. She was double and red. The fill was between the upper and lower arched lines, connected at the ends. This “checkmark” denotes the speed mark. Smooth strokes brought harmony to the logo. The designers also changed the color of the inscription: instead of coal-black, they used dark graphite.

2003 – 2012

In 2003, the font was changed. It has become softer, smoother, and more rounded, symbolizing the excellent wind flow of racing cars. This contributes to superior aerodynamics and high-speed retention.

2012 – today

After renaming the company to McLaren Automotive, it redesigned the logo. But it was not significant: mainly the inscription underwent a change, where the word “Automotive” was pressed, executed in a different font – thin, straight, chopped, with the letters “O” and “U” in the form of empty squares.

Font and Colors

The distinctive McLaren Speedmark is a mark that has multiple origins. According to the first opinion, it is a reminder of the debut logo of Speedy Kiwi, as the rounded wide arc looks like the head of a kiwi bird. On other assumptions, this is a modernized chevron, personifying the sponsorship of Marlboro. The third point of view refers to the fact that the inverted “checkmark” is a swirling vortex, which usually occurs at the top of the side supports of the car.

For the logo, the designers chose a vector version of the Moki Lean typeface by Marcus Sterz and first published by FaceType. Its alternative is the A Space font. There is also a similarity of the inscription with the Serene MTC.

The corporate palette is restrained and consists of classic colors: black, red, and white. The very first emblem also featured green.

McLaren color codes