McLaren won his first grand prix in his first year, 1959, and won the opening race of the following season in 1960, but he then took a secondary role to his boss, Jack Brabham.
McLaren formed his own team in 1964 and was joined by world champion and compatriot Denny Hulme in 1968.
They not only raced in Formula One, but McLarens were also the dominant marque in the American CanAm sports car series for the rest of the decade.
McLaren had a reputation for consistency and safety, which made it ironic that he was killed while testing one of the CanAm cars in England in 1970.
His name lived on in the team that created an indelible place in grand prix history and through the McLaren Trust, based in Auckland.