In terms of winning, the McLaren M16 was the most successful car of the 1970s era at the Indianapolis 500. The machine won three times - 1972, 1974 and 1976. It was also the last chassis to win utilizing the legendary Offenhauser engine.
Although inspired by the wedge shape of the Lotus Type 72, Chief Designer Gordon Cuppock created what would be one of the most influential and successful racing cars of all time. Side mounted radiators enabled the use of the wedge shaped forward nose piece which provided tremendous down force. It was balanced by the addition of the rear wing, The car immediately proved very fast. Variants of the M16 were very competitive from 1971 through 1976.
The machine depicted in the artwork is the one driven by Johnny Rutherford to victory in the 1974 Indianapolis 500.