When you hear the name James Hunt, you don’t invariably think of secret agents, dangerous Alpine skiing adventures, and Formula 1 cars equipped with ejector seats, right?

Well, you do if you’re Oscar-winning visual effects house Framestore, makers of McLaren’s TOONED animation series. 

The London-based studio worked with McLaren to create an appropriately off-the-wall celebration of the 1976 world champion, who won one of the most memorable title fights in grand prix history exactly 40 years ago.

The three-minute TOONED video updates the Hunt feature which originally aired in 2013, as part of McLaren’s 50th anniversary celebrations. With cameos from Murray Walker and Alexander Armstrong, the new edit retains all the spontaneity, wit and irreverent humour of the original, but now features – for the very first time – McLaren-Honda racer Fernando Alonso, alongside Jenson Button.

It even includes a small cameo from Belgium’s Stoffel Vandoorne – who will race alongside Fernando for McLaren-Honda in 2017.

John Allert, McLaren group brand director, said: "The 40th anniversary of James Hunt’s Formula 1 world title made for an obvious decision to revisit the TOONED archives and create a fun and compelling new chapter in the series. Combining pre-existing elements, but incorporating a fresh narrative involving McLaren-Honda’s drivers Fernando Alonso, Jenson Button and Stoffel Vandoorne, this new episode is destined to reach an all-new and highly engaged audience online.

"TOONED is a showcase for the power of storytelling: it’s concise, funny and rammed with delightful detail. This one-off episode offers an all-too-brief return to the TOONED universe and a tantalising glimpse at just what’s possible with the brand in the future."

McLaren has created a suite of content to mark the 40th anniversary of James Hunt’s world title for McLaren – search for it online under the banner #Hunt40.