Here is the thing about McLaren: they are one of the most uncompromising names in the global sports car industry, and they have earned that reputation intentionally. McLaren doesn't build cars to please the masses. A McLaren—whether it’s the 720S, the Speedtail, or any other series—operates on a single principle: every detail must have a reason for existence. No redundant parts. No meaningless decoration. No "add this to make it look nice." Every curve, every choice of material, and every surface serves a specific function or sensation.

So when McLaren contacted us to order a display box for a bottle of Macallan single malt—the Year of the Horse edition from the distiller's Chinese Zodiac collection—we immediately understood that this was not a typical order. This was a test.

Phase 1: Concept

The client didn't send us drawings. They sent us a sentence: "How can opening this box feel like opening a McLaren door?"

That was it. No dimensions. No material specifications. No technical requirements. Just a feeling they wanted to create.

We sat down together and watched slow-motion footage of the 720S door mechanism, frame by frame. The moment the door lifts and tilts slightly forward—it doesn't just open, it performs—that was exactly what we needed to capture. From that session, a few initial directions emerged: synchronized double-door opening, an opening angle exceeding the standard 90 degrees, and partially exposed hinges to evoke the dramatic mechanics of the engine bay.

This phase existed only in discussion, debate, and a mood board filled with close-up shots of McLaren details—air intakes, seat stitching, and the titanium grey finish on the paddle shifters.

Phase 2: Sketching → Technical Drawings → Rendering

From that loose concept, we started putting everything onto paper.

First came the hand sketches. Rough pencil strokes to lock in the proportions: portrait or landscape? Opening upward or outward? Which angle catches the best light on the gold foil of the Macallan label? We sent McLaren four or five sketch options, each with a key structural difference. They settled on the direction of two synchronized side-opening doors.

Then came the 2D technical drawings. This is where the numbers came into play: wall thickness, corner radii, magnet placement, hinge travel. We sent CAD files so their team could check the proportions on their own screens.

Once the engineering was finalized, we moved to 3D modeling and rendering. This was the most important visual step—as rendering shows the client exactly how materials behave under light: mirror-matched burl wood grain between the left and right wings, the depth of the piano black lacquer, the titanium grey PVD coating on the stainless steel hinges, and the Alcantara lining inside the bottle cradle. McLaren approved the render after two minor rounds of revisions—adjusting the bottle tilt angle from 8 degrees to 12 degrees and widening the magnet border by 2mm.

This entire phase lasted about four weeks, with constant back-and-forth exchanges.

Phase 3: From Drawing to Prototype

This is when everything was put to the test.

We built the first prototype from raw MDF—no paint, no veneer—just to check the opening and closing mechanism. The dual-pivot hinge we designed went through over a dozen revisions before it functioned correctly. The challenge was: both doors had to open at the same time, at the same speed, stop precisely at 105 degrees, and require only one hand to operate. No hydraulics, no electricity—pure mechanics. When fully opened, the two doors create a natural backdrop surrounding the bottle. It took nearly three weeks just to get the hinge working as intended.

Once the mechanism was stable, we moved to the final prototype. Carpathian elm burl wood was selected piece by piece—the grain on the left and right doors was mirror-matched, meaning someone had to sit there with a knife, split the veneer, choose each slice by eye, and discard about 40% of the unsuitable sheets. The veneer was pressed onto an MDF core, sanded, filled, sanded, filled, and then coated with seven layers of polyester paint—each layer wet-sanded before the next was applied. Under the right light, the surface is so reflective you can see your own teeth.

The hinges were CNC-machined from solid stainless steel, then hand-polished and PVD-coated in titanium grey. Each set of hinges took about six hours to finish.

The Macallan bottle rests in an Alcantara-lined cradle—the same material McLaren uses for dashboards—tilted at exactly 12 degrees so that light catches the gold label when the doors open.

McLaren sent their design director to the workshop to inspect the prototype. He stood there for about twenty minutes, not saying a word—just opening, closing, opening, closing, running his thumb along the edge of the hinge. Then he nodded.

Summary

We produced exactly 75 units. Each one took about 40 hours of manual labor, excluding the CNC machining time. McLaren kept the first five for their internal archives and partner gifts. The remaining seventy were delivered to Macallan’s private client division.

This was not a catalog product. This is a case study on how we work with clients: from a vague sentence → sketch → render → prototype. Everything passed through our hands, eyes, and debates. There was no such thing as "good enough."

Tancybox is always ready to work with your business to create iconic packaging solutions.

Hotline: +84 907076193 | Email: iris@tancypackaging.com | Website: tancybox.vn