McLaren team celebrates a love of cars at Car and Coffee Club

With a magnificent mix of cars, from ultra-rare Isuzu Piazza Turbo to a pre-war Invicta S Type and quirky Citroen 2CV, there really was something for everyone. And we couldn’t help but marvel at the beauty of this wide variety of cars against the backdrop of the incredible McLaren Technology Centre. With every car, an essential story, whether that was being in the family for many years, designing the car at a previous job, or just a new personal project. Each holds a special place in its owner's heart. 

“This is the third McLaren Car and Coffee Club we’ve done,” Fred Martin-Dye, McLaren’s Bespoke Series Programme Manager tells us.

“We try to do it twice a year, one in spring, one in autumn. Everybody who works here is passionate about cars and bikes and has different interests in cars; you can see that in the amazing mix of cars we have here today. It’s a way for everybody to show their passions, the things we tinker with on the weekend, play with and maintain and that we all enjoy running and using. 

“A lot of the guys and girls worked on their cars through their development and production and that's why they are special to them and now they own one. A lot had posters of them on their wall as a kid; some have had them in the family for years, and that's how they came to love their car.”

McLaren’s Senior Design Manager Steve Crijns, is one such attendee that brought along a car he worked on. In fact, he was in part responsible for the design of the Evora, during his time working at Lotus.

“I have owned the Lotus Evora since new,” Crijns tells us.

“It was a company car when I used to work at Lotus, then I bought it when I joined McLaren and now use it as an everyday car. It’s got a lot of sentimental value attached because I designed it originally. To be able to drive a car which you designed is quite a privilege."

“I will never get rid of it because it’s more than just a car, it’s part of me. I’ve recently had the interior re-trimmed, due to it being a bit tired from over 80,000 miles and my dog being in it. It began to look quite tatty. I’ve updated the interior with McLaren orange – burnt orange – so having McLaren in the Lotus is quite nice. The burnt orange was on my latest project at McLaren, so it’s a nice link between the two.

“It’s lovely to have it here at the McLaren Car and Coffee Club. It’s also lovely to see some of the other cars I designed at Lotus.”