By RNZ

The graves of Kiwi motorsport legend Bruce McLaren and his wife have been vandalised at Waikumete Cemetery in Auckland.

The family said it is shocked by the damage to the headstones, which have been sprayed with gold paint. Toy cars have also been stuck on to them.

“We are lost for words as to why anyone would do this,” the Bruce McLaren Trust said in a statement.

The graves affected are those of McLaren, who was a racing driver and Formula One motorsport executive, and his wife Patricia, known as Patty. The trust said the headstone for McLaren’s mother Ruth and father Les, known as Pop, had also been damaged.

The trust said it was grateful to the Grave Guardians, a voluntary organisation that restores headstones and has offered to help resolve the situation.

The headstones would be wrapped while repairs take place, the trust said.

McLaren was one of New Zealand’s biggest names in motorsport.

He won four Grands Prix between 1958 and 1970 and founded McLaren in 1963.

To this day, they remain the only team to complete what is known as the Triple Crown of Motorsport – winning the Indianapolis 500, the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the Monaco Grand Prix.

– RNZ