Given the recent attempt by McLaren to qualify for the Indy 500, it’s easy to forget just how dominant the team was in North American racing. Case in point, the McLaren M6A Can-Am car that this coffee maker and grinder customized by Drive Coffee is inspired by.
The McLaren M6A in a Nutshell
The M6A ushered in a couple of firsts for McLaren: it was the first car to feature the now-iconic papaya orange livery and it was their very first monocoque vehicle. The car dominated the 1967 Can-Am season with Bruce McLaren (in car #4) and Denny Hulme (#5) winning all but one race that year, and finished first and second in the driver’s championship, respectively.
The Coffee Maker and Grinder
According to Drive Coffee, the coffee maker is actually a Technivorm Moccamaster from the Netherlands. It’s sure to satisfy the snobbiest of coffee drinkers – it’s one of the few machines that are certified by the Specialty Coffee Association and European Coffee Brewing Center. It can brew 40oz of coffee in just six minutes and keeps it hot at either 175 or 185 degrees.
The coffee maker is completely disassembled and finished with multiple layers of auto paint and clear coat – all by artists that typically work on show cars and custom motorcycles. The result is a coffee maker that actually looks and shines like a classic car should, complete with the McLaren kiwi bird, papaya orange paint, and the number four.
Drive Coffee even recommends using premium automotive detailing supplies, including a wax base coat 1-2 times a year and waterless wash and detail spray for regular cleaning.
It’s not cheap to own a work of art like this one – it’s nearly $1,000. But if you can’t afford that, look into their grinder that features the #5 of Hulme. In this case, it’s a Baratza Virtuoso grinder that produces an exceptional uniform grind. The price is half that of the maker – $500.
If Papaya Orange doesn’t match anything in your kitchen, then look into Drive Coffee’s other iconic liveries that they’ve put on these machines – like the fully-license Martini or Gulf liveries, or the Marlboro-esque livery inspired from the McLaren-Honda MP4/4.
