McLaren M23
 Emerson Fittipaldi in the McLaren M23 at the 1974 British Grand Prix. |
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| Category | Formula One | ||||||||
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| Constructor | McLaren Racing | ||||||||
| Designer(s) | Gordon Coppuck | ||||||||
| Predecessor | M19C | ||||||||
| Successor | M26 | ||||||||
| Technical specifications | |||||||||
| Chassis | Aluminium monocoque. | ||||||||
| Suspension (front) | Double wishbone, with inboard coilover shock absorbers. | ||||||||
| Suspension (rear) | Double wishbone. | ||||||||
| Axle track | 62 in (157 cm) | ||||||||
| Wheelbase | 101 in (257 cm) | ||||||||
| Engine | Ford-Cosworth DFV 2,993 cc (182.6 cu in) 90° V8, naturally aspirated, mid-mounted. | ||||||||
| Transmission | Hewland FG400 5/6-speed manual gearbox. | ||||||||
| Weight | 575 kg (1,268 lb) | ||||||||
| Competition history | |||||||||
| Notable entrants |
Yardley Team McLaren Marlboro Team Texaco Marlboro Team McLaren |
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| Notable drivers |
 Denny Hulme Peter Revson Jochen Mass Mike Hailwood Emerson Fittipaldi James Hunt
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| Debut | 1973 South African Grand Prix | ||||||||
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| Constructors' Championships | 1 (1974) | ||||||||
| Drivers' Championships | 2 (1974: Fittipaldi; 1976: Hunt) | ||||||||
| n.b. Unless otherwise stated, all data refer to Formula One World Championship Grands Prix only. |
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The McLaren M23 was a Formula One racing car designed by Gordon Coppuck, with input from John Barnard, and built by the McLaren team. It was a development of the McLaren M16 Indianapolis 500 car. A Ford Cosworth DFV engine was used, which was prepared by specialist tuning company Nicholson-McLaren Engines. This helped push the DFV's horsepower output to around 490 bhp.
It was introduced for the 1973 season, and scored pole position with Denny Hulme on its very first outing. Hulme and Peter Revson took three wins between them that season, while rookie Jody Scheckter nearly added a fourth. Scheckter was responsible for one of the biggest accidents Formula One has ever seen, at the 1973 British Grand Prix, when he spun his M23 in front of the pack. Emerson Fittipaldi joined McLaren from Lotus in 1974. His knowledge of the Lotus 72 helped McLaren develop the M23 and that season Fittipaldi gave McLaren its first drivers' and constructors' world championships, beating Ferrari, Tyrrell and Lotus.
Further development in 1975 – including a 6-speed gearbox, a novelty for the time – helped Fittipaldi to second in the drivers' championship behind Niki Lauda, who had the benefit of Ferrari's 312T chassis and McLaren to third in the constructors' championship, behind Ferrari and Brabham. The team experimented with different bodywork styles, including aerodynamic kickups in front of the rear wheels, different nose profiles and extended bodywork in front of the rear wheels, housing the oil coolers. Most of these changes were adopted for the M23 and its successor, the McLaren M26. At the end of 1975 Fittipaldi left the team to join his brother's Copersucar-sponsored Fittipaldi Automotive team. He was replaced by James Hunt, who went on to win a dramatic and controversial 1976 season with the final evolution M23, the M23D.
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