New Zealander Bruce McLaren founded Bruce McLaren Motor Racing in 1963. The following year, the company built the first McLaren race car—the M1A. Its successor, the M1B, debuted in the Can-Am championship, which the team dominated from 1966 through 1971 with a total of 43 victories. In 1965 the first McLaren Formula 1 car, the M2B, raced in the Monaco Grand Prix. McLaren then moved into American open-wheel racing, first entering the Indianapolis 500 in 1970.

McLaren quickly made a name for itself in auto racing, but it took considerable time for the team to establish a distinctive identity. The cars sported many liveries until the 1967 Can-Am season, during which McLaren debuted the color it would become synonymous with—papaya orange. The company later used the distinctive hue on successful cars in a wide variety of series, including Can-Am, Champ/Indy car, Formula 1, Formula 2, and Formula 5000. But despite its iconic status, the eye-catching color was only used for a short period, and decades would pass before its reappearance. McLaren’s return to papaya orange for the 2018 F1 season came appropriately on the 50th anniversary of its original F1 introduction, thrilling fans worldwide.

The Color of Success features cars representing multiple racing disciplines, all sporting McLaren’s beloved papaya livery and marking key moments in the team’s 60-year history.

Known as the “Deuce” because of the number “2” in the model year, the 1932 Ford has acquired a mystique that few other cars can match. Admired by both enthusiasts and engineers since its introduction, the 1932 Ford was the world’s first popularly priced car to offer a V-8 engine. Despite having debuted in one of the worst years of the Great Depression, nearly 275,000 new models were sold. In the years immediately prior to World War II and well into the 1950s, a large number of 1932 Fords came onto the used car market at prices within reach of the average American. Backyard mechanics of all ages often acquired the cars inexpensively, leaving them with enough money to hop them up, dress them up, and campaign them in both speed and beauty contests.

Eager to transform their cars into highway-scorching street and racing machines, these aficionados applied their considerable mechanical skills and fabrication expertise to create a near-infinite variety of vehicles that served to express their talents and highly individualistic tastes. Today some of the best-remembered and most coveted Deuces are the hot rods that have come to be known by the names of their builders. Drawing inspiration from these pioneers, a large number of Deuce enthusiasts seek to acquire unaltered cars, which they intend to modify for a run on the Bonneville Salt Flats or campaign at the Grand National Roadster Show for top honors. Ninety years after its introduction, the 1932 Ford continues to captivate enthusiasts and inspire a wide range of creative modifications.