McLaren Logo

McLaren Logo PNG

Being a famous manufacturer of luxurious cars, McLaren company can boast the wide assortment and exceptional quality, but it’s not the only interesting thing about it. Do you know its history and what stands behind their emblem? If not, it’s time to read about McLaren logotype.

Meaning and History

From the very start, McLaren Automotive of Great Britain concentrated on speed and high quality. During the 1960s, McLaren thought of what was the world’s quickest vehicle right now.

The McLaren logo has experienced a long and striking development. Its present-day adaptation includes a red speed-mark, which has been altered a few times, and the word-mark, which comes in various hues depending upon the foundation.

1963 – 1965

1965 – 1967

The first McLaren symbol was made in 1964 by Michael Turner, a UK artist who spends significant time in motoring and avionics canvases. It included a Kiwi, which is the image of Bruce McLaren’s homeland, New Zealand.
It is a shield shape with a red border. The top section is occupied by a green bit with a racing car silhouette inside it. It’s followed by the name ‘McLaren’, then by a big kiwi silhouette against two patterns: solid white and checkered green and white. Beneath it all are the words ‘motor racing team’.

1967 – 1981

After four years Michael Turner built up a ‘Rapid Kiwi’ adaptation. The shade it utilized is now and then called ‘McLaren Orange
The following logo is a black silhouette of a kiwi’s head, nicknamed ‘rapid kiwi’. It’s not that realistic, but smooth, round and overly long. Beneath the head itself, they placed a short, sharp line.

1981 – 1991

In 1981 Raymond Loewy planned one more McLaren logo. The universal token resembles a checkered banner.
The next logo is a first in the line of iconic McLaren logotypes. They introduced the classic name wordmark, written using bold, squat letters of an otherwise typical sans-serif font. The word ‘International’ in simpler, capitalized and thinner letters is placed directly beneath the ‘Laren’ bit in ‘McLaren’. Also above it, they put a new emblem of three diagonal banners of black, black and red. They resemble racing flags, what with the sections of white in their middles.

1991 – 1998

In the 1991 logo the three chevrons ended up one. What’s more, the McLaren maker chose to refresh the text style, making it increasingly refined.
The name design in this logo changed marginally – only the letter ‘M’ was modified. However, they did scrap the ‘International’ portion. Much of the banner imagery was removed, except for the bottom portion of the red flag. They placed it above and to the right from the last letter.

1998 – 2003

In 1998 the image was vigorously changed. The new form, which was presented in 1997, contained a streamlined speedmark. As indicated by the organization’s creators, its framework looks particularly like the vortices made by the back wing of McLaren vehicles. To make the picture increasingly fiery, the creators chose to utilize a white engraving on a dark foundation.

2003 – 2012

In 2003 a patched up logo showed up. The famous speedmark remained the focal point of the picture.
In 2003, the red mark was reduced in size and elevated. The chief change happened to the letters. They became more abrupt, blocky and taller (rather than wider, like before). The shapes are still round and pretty smooth.

2012 – 2018

The following logo changed the red speedmark into a darker shade, changing little else about it. Also, the word ‘automotive’ was placed in thin, capitalized letters, where ‘international’ was historically. The font was more abrupt and with broader letters than before.

2018 – now

Symbol

What does McLaren logo mean? There are three theories all of which seem to be viable. The first one is the official one, which consists in the fact that the badge is an aerodynamic element.

The second version claims that the emblem embodies the combination of the Marlboro logo and the kiwi bird. The tobacco company has played a significant role in the formation of the F1 racing team, and it is therefore appropriate to assume that the logo embodies the evolution of the Marlboro designation. Representatives of the company do not confirm this fact.

According to the third version, the logotype features non-flying kiwi bird wings on its luxurious cars. Quite a massive bird is a kind of symbol of Bruce McLaren’s homeland – New Zealand, and is therefore located on McLaren cars.