An oil painting of Bruce McLaren has been unveiled as a tribute to his life and legacy.
More than 200 residents and visitors packed out the village centre at Ryman Healthcare’s Bruce McLaren Retirement Village on Friday to witness the occasion.
The painting has been unveiled in the same month that namesack Bruce McLaren would have celebrated his 80th birthday.
Bruce’s sister Jan McLaren, who runs the Bruce McLaren Trust, unveiled the painting, by Auckland painter Craig Primrose and says she is thrilled with how the painting turned out.
“It really is a privilege for me to be involved with preserving his legacy, not just for our generation but for the younger generations coming up too,” she said.
The occasion was made all the more special by the presence of a McLaren road car and an original 1970 single seater McLaren.
The picture, which took two months to complete, was commissioned by Ryman Healthcare and is the first in a series of paintings of each village namesake to be undertaken by Primrose in the coming years.
Primrose says a lot of research went into the painting and that portraying the cars was the most difficult part.
Ryman Healthcare’s Head of Corporate Affairs David King says it is an honour to celebrate Bruce McLaren in this unique way.
“The impact that Bruce McLaren had on international motorsport was huge and long lasting,” he said.
“We are delighted to see the beautiful work that Craig has created and believe it will help preserve this incredible legacy for the benefit of our residents for many generations to come.”
