• McLaren launched a new wordmark that takes inspiration from the shop that Bruce McLaren built his first race car in.
• The new logo is more understated than the chunky wordmark that has led the brand’s visual language since 1981.
• A new logo signals the start of a new era, McLaren says, as it begins expansion in its engineering and manufacturing divisions following a massive investment.

McLaren’s spunky, bold wordmark has defined generations of racing and automotive innovation. But everyone has to grow up at some point, and McLaren seems to think it’s time. A fresh, more sophisticated wordmark signals the start of a new era for McLaren while also reflecting back on the winning mindset that powered the company’s start over 60 years ago.

McLaren’s new look is actually McLaren’s first look. The typeface was pulled straight from the lettering that hung above the garages of Bruce McLaren’s parents’ service station in Auckland, New Zealand. Bruce’s first motorsports win came from a car that rolled out of that garage—a 1929 Austin 7 Ulster he rebuilt when he was 14.

The McLaren name has since made its way into households around the world as a leading supercar and motorsports brand. Though it’s been over 50 years since Bruce McLaren’s death, his vision is still being realized at McLaren HQ.

That’s especially evident in McLaren’s latest model release. The McL 6GT is a direct nod to the M6GT, which was Bruce McLaren’s original Le Mans-capable road car vision. The M6GT never made it to production, but the McL 6GT captures much of Bruce’s original intentions, even bringing back a true manual transmission to the McLaren lineup for the first time in over 30 years.

So, it’s fitting that the McL 6GT is the first to wear McLaren’s new branding across its tail. McLaren Racing and McLaren Automotive will both use the new wordmark and typeface to replace the bolder, more aggressive logo first introduced in 1981. This new mark features a wide sans-serif typeface with all capital letters, except for the lowercase C that rests on top of a horizontal line to bring it up to the same height as its capital-letter neighbors. The iconic Speedy Kiwi and Speedmark will remain integral parts of McLaren’s branding across both divisions.

“It's a reflection of the journey we are on as a company,” David Woodhouse, chief creative officer at McLaren Automotive, said in a press release. “It marks the beginning of a new chapter for McLaren, giving a physical expression to the ambition, creativity, and forward momentum that is shaping our future.”

The wordmark reveal comes after news of a massive £500 million (around $672 million) investment to expand McLaren’s manufacturing and engineering footprint in the U.K. McLaren says the investment will support future growth, including the development of a high-performance SUV.

The first time we saw the new branding in action was on the McL 6GT, which was revealed this year at Monterey Car Week. There’s still some time before we’ll see it in the wild, though, as the car isn’t slated to arrive until 2028.