After spending a couple of summers working as a laborer and clay modeler for Ford Motor Company, McRae was hired as a designer at Kaiser-Frazier Corporation[1] in September, 1949 where he was involved with the development of the 1951 Kaiser.
He went on to work at Studebaker Packard Corporation beginning in August, 1955, where he became chief stylist.
He was transferred later that year to Ford of England, where we worked on the design of the Mark II Cortina, the Escort and the original Capri.
In 1967 McRae was transferred to Ford of Germany where he led the design team which developed the Taunus 23M.
McRae retired from Ford Motor Company in 1975 and moved to Australia where he operated a cattle farm in Apollo Bay, Victoria for several years before returning to live in Ann Arbor, Michigan until his death in 1984.