Latest news with #GordonMurrayAutomotive
Miami Herald
a day ago
- Automotive
- Miami Herald
Gordon Murray Special Vehicles Blows Monterey Car Week Away With Two McLaren F1-Inspired Manual V12 Hypercars
Gordon Murray Automotive, responsible for the T.50 and T.33 variants, now has a sister company specializing in the sorts of bespoke creations that turn exotics into generational works of art. It's called Gordon Murray Special Vehicles, and the first two creations to be commissioned are named S1 LM and Le Mans GTR, making their debut at Monterey Car Week. As their names hint, they pay tribute to the McLaren F1 LM and GTR of Le Mans fame, and they give the great Gordon Murray opportunities to further improve on iconic hypercars he's penned. GMSV's Bespoke division will handle one-of-one customer commissions like the S1 LM, while its Heritage division will be responsible for continuation cars and reimaginings of cars Murray designed. Finally, SV design will produce ultra-low-volume cars like the Le Mans GTR. Since the GMSV S1 LM is the first car from the new company, it only makes sense to start there. 'S1' stands for 'Special One' and was ordered in a series of five, just like the GTR-mimicking McLaren F1 LM road car. Some of these five got an unrestrected race engine, and the S1 LM goes a similar way, with an enlarged 4.3-liter version of the 4.0-liter V12 from the T.50. Still capable of 12,100 rpm, it now produces "over 700 horsepower," and like the Aston Martin Valkyrie, the car has ear defenders for each of its occupants - in this case, three. Sadly for the rest of us, all five examples are going to one selfish customer obsessed with the McLaren F1, who worked with GMA and his own designer to help craft this modern reincarnation of the road-legal racer. With the McLaren F1 so valuable that it's practically impossible to write off in a crash, the S1 LM is instead based on the aforementioned GMA three-seater, but every surface is new, and the carbon fiber body has a lower roofline than the T.50. Unlike that car, there's no rear fan. Instead, there's an Inconel exhaust (wrapped in 18-karat gold-foiled heat shielding) exiting out of four central pipes like the car that inspired this design. Importantly, Murray has always bemoaned that his original McLaren F1 design did not have the Coke-bottle curves that would have given the F1 a much more sensual shape. That has been fixed here, and the result is something that turns the F1's design from striking to stunning. A bespoke aerodynamics package promises high-speed stability, while a unique suspension with new geometry, a lower ride height, and custom damper tuning should make for an even more engaging drive. Speaking of, there is still a six-speed manual gearbox, now with a redesigned linkage that delivers shorter rifle-bolt-like throws. Completely new seats and a fully redesigned interior with a new McLaren F1-like wheel masterfully blend retro design cues with contemporary craftsmanship, whether we're talking about the futuristic silver spec or the classic green tartan interior shown in these images. This respect for the past and embrace of innovative design will keep this interior spectacular for decades to come, and we look forward to seeing what the other configurations look like. Okay, so we have no chance at owning the S1 LM. What about the GMSV Le Mans GTR? Nearly five times as many will be made, so there's a shot, right? Of course not. Low-volume hypercars that are revealed at Monterey Car Week are often sold out long before, and that's the case with all 24 of these (one for each hour of the iconic Le Mans endurance race). The design takes inspiration from Murray's own longtail designs but also uses longtails like the Matra-Simca MS660, Porsche 917, and Alfa Romeo Tipo 33/3 as its muses. GMSV has developed a new platform for the vehicle, with the GMA 4.0-liter V12 and manual six-speed as almost the only elements carried over from the sister company. The Le Mans GTR also does away with a rear fan, yet its front splitter, deep side skirts, and twin-channel rear diffuser (through which the double exhaust exits) still "generate maximum ground effect aerodynamics." A roof-mounted ram-air intake much larger than those on the T.50 or T.33 promises an intoxicating induction sound through the cabin, with the centrally seated driver surely benefiting the most. Stiffer and lighter suspension, a wider track, larger Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tires, enhanced cooling capacity, and new vents and side-pod intakes for engine and gearbox cooling will allow for sustained abuse on track, and the solid mounting of the engine means the driver will have a direct connection with what the car is doing beneath them. Again, we must mention the Aston Martin Valkyrie. This has its engine mounted to the bulkhead behind the occupants, and the vibrations it creates are, shall we say, less than comfortable. However, GMSV has developed a new system that it says removes many of these noise and vibration issues. Still festooned in carbon fiber but less dramatically styled, this cabin is more reminiscent of the T.50 than the S1 LM, yet it's also clearly a much more high-end experience, with texturing and detailing on practically every surface, including the stunning door pulls and the hardware that binds these elements to the doors. Let's start with the F1 tribute. It looks as futuristic as a Kyza render, yet is unmistakably still teeming with F1 DNA. The massive lower side intake adds a level of drama and menace that the original was missing, and which other supercars of the era, like the Lamborghini Diablo, fully capitalized on. The combination of narrow LED slits and outlines that mimic the shape of the original headlights is arguably the only correct way to reimagine the F1, and the simplicity of the front fascia does a fine job of upholding the clean aesthetic that appealed to so many fans of the original. Admittedly, the intake on the shoulder line breaks up the clean lines of the profile, but this is an LM tribute, and combined with the five-spoke wheels and hood intake, it's just racy enough. At the back, the fonts on the badges and their placement on the complex mesh between the vaned taillights are elements that are only fully appreciated up close, and the classic triple-exit bumper vents are pure racecar. With the massive diffuser and exposed rear tires, the design combines the best of old-school '90s design with modern aerodynamic know-how. As for its sibling, the sharper angles, vertical lines below the sculpted headlights, and the almost Zagato-like rear end truly stir the soul in a way that the perhaps-too-pure T.50 did not. Both are beautiful, but this is a car that instantly spikes heart rates the moment it's seen, while the T.50's design needed to be savored to be fully appreciated. The rear haunches call to mind a Ferrari FXX-K from the front and the Ford GT from the rear, but there's also a clear GMA flavor in the glasshouse, roof snorkel, birds-eye view, and the lighting elements. Both cars are stunning, and while we have no idea what they cost, their provenance, performance, and presence seem worth whatever the asking price might have been. To sum these two cars up in a single sentence may be impossible, and we can't wait to see what's next from GMSV. Copyright 2025 The Arena Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Car and Driver
2 days ago
- Automotive
- Car and Driver
View Photos of Gordon Murray Special Vehicles Supercars
Read the full story Gordon Murray Special Vehicles is a new spin-off of Gordon Murray Automotive, which builds the engaging, V-12-powered, manual-transmission T.50 supercar, and the new division, focused on even more bespoke supercars, unveiled its first two projects at The Quail during 2025 Monterey Car Week.
27-07-2025
- Automotive
Horsepower used to matter. Is electrification changing that?
What makes a supercar "super"? Is it horsepower, 0-60 mph records or the gratification of rowing your own gears? Sophisticated engineering and the addition of electric motors have boosted the performance and heart-stopping acceleration of modern cars, though these once-lauded and brag-worthy stats are becoming less important for a growing number of drivers. "We're seeing a slight backlash to the ultimate performance ... people want more of an analog experience," McKeel Hagerty, CEO of Hagerty, an automotive enthusiast brand, told ABC News. "It feels like zero to 60 times are now so low and so fast. I am not sure that matters anymore, or if horsepower matters anymore." McKeel pointed to the T.50 supercar being built by Gordon Murray, the founder of British carmaker Gordon Murray Automotive and creator of the legendary McLaren F1 road car. The T.50's naturally aspirated V12 engine produces 661 hp and is capable of 12,100 rpm. It also has a six-speed manual gearbox, an anomaly in the supercar realm. The company said it engineered the T.50 "to be the most driver-centric supercar ever built" and Hagerty expects similar manufacturers to follow Murray's lead. "With the T.50, Murray is saying, 'I don't care if it races at Le Mans,'" Hagerty said. "He's building a supercar that has more analog features, that's high revving and has an outrageous motor -- I think we'll see more of that. This trend of people wanting more of an analog experience bodes well for vintage cars and some of these RestoMod vehicles." Titillating horsepower numbers will continue to generate headlines and sales for some automakers. The Corvette ZR1X, which debuted last month, can produce a hair-raising 1,250 hp from its turbocharged LT7 engine and electric front-drive unit. The "regular" ZR1 delivers 1,064 hp, making these models the most powerful Corvettes in the marque's history. Jason Cammisa, host of Hagerty's "ICON" YouTube series, declared that the ZR1 "belongs in a different world ... a world without speed limits, or city streets, or reckless driving tickets." "The ZR1 needs to work as a car on roads where it will be the vast majority of the time, and it's great," he said in his review. "But all that composure on the racetrack is replaced by genuine fear of that gas pedal because violent wheel spin is always looming as a reminder that 1,000 hp road cars probably should not be legal." Cammisa's argument has legitimacy; few drivers who purchase high-performance vehicles are capable of harnessing and controlling all that power. "People need to know what they're doing with this horsepower," Frank Markus, technical director at MotorTrend, told ABC News. "Most of the people who buy these cars can't risk bodily harm or jail sentence." Markus noted that horsepower has long been linked to tire development. Years ago, when Bugatti first unveiled its 1,000+ horsepower cars, "the industry wasn't ready for that horsepower," he said. "It was so dangerous ... tires can only survive for 15 minutes at those top speeds." Bugatti's latest invention, thec hybrid Tourbillion, generates 1,800 hp, 300 more than the Chiron, the last model to showcase the brand's famed W16 engine. With the added weight from battery packs and motors, Markus questioned whether the rubber on hybrid and electric sports cars can keep up. "Sports cars need so much downforce. Is putting 6,000 lbs on tires at these speeds really safe?" he said. "Rubber technology has maxed out what you can put down on a dry pavement." Electrification has also complicated the horsepower element, he explained. "In the combustion era, you had to rev the engine a lot for it to get up to power," Markus noted. "With electrics, the torque is right there at zero." Take the Rimac Nevera R all-electric supercar. The 2,107-hp car sprinted from 0-60 mph in a blistering 1.66 seconds at Germany's Automotive Testing Papenburg (ATP) facility this month, beating a previous company record. The Nevera R also set a new record for the fastest EV top speed: 268.2 mph. Then there's the Tesla Model S Plaid, which boasts supercar-like stats: 1,020 hp and 0-60 mph in 1.99 seconds. Markus, like Hagerty, agreed that drivers are searching for sports cars that provide exhilaration and visceral feedback without the assistance of electrification. "Electric sports cars are flopping in the market. They're antiseptic," he said. "People want an engine. They want to feel the steering wheel vibrate." In an interview this month with TopGear, Christian von Koenigsegg, the founder of Swedish hypercar maker Koenigsegg, said his next car would not be electric, noting that the "appetite in the market for this level of car, fully electric, is extremely low." "You want the throbbing, the pumping, the heat, the sounds, the shifts, all of these aspects that just make [a car] come alive. I would say an electric car is a bit more of a robot," von Koenigsegg said. Some sports car brands, like Lamborghini, are looking to electrification to enhance horsepower and output. The Italian marque has three electrified models now for sale: the Temerario, Urus SE and Revuelto. The Urus SE, the third iteration of the brand's SUV, pairs a twin-turbocharged V8 engine with an electric motor and a lithium-ion battery, allowing the rowdy ute to travel short distances solely on electricity. The Urus SE delivers nearly 800 hp, making it "most powerful Urus ever." Rouven Mohr, Lamborghini's chief technical officer, said Urus owners will immediately notice the increase in horsepower. "In general, we've been working to exploit the benefits of added power in a way that ensures the car remains responsive at every RPM. The 'fun to drive' feeling is the aspect that has benefited most from the power increase, but we've also developed new center and rear differentials to handle that power," he said. "Progress in technology has continually led to increases in power since the first car was introduced. We aim to provide a genuine, authentic Lamborghini driving experience that goes beyond mere figures. Having said that, as Lamborghini, our performances must be best in class, as expected." Tony Roma, chief engineer for the global Corvette and performance cars team, acknowledged that horsepower standards have reached astronomical heights. Yet the debate over horsepower -- and what's acceptable -- has been going on for years. "I worked on the C5 Corvette when it made 405 hp in 2002. And we had this exact same dialect, 'OMG 400 hp in a Corvette, OMG it's uncontrollable,'" he told ABC News. "Then we did 500 hp on the C6. The ZR1 is crazy fast ... and 1,000 hp is a silly number. I think tire technology, suspension technology, the aero -- the other things we've done -- when we get it right and the chassis can handle the power you're making, it's a joy to drive. If you would have put 1,000 hp in that C5, it would scare people to death." He added, "The numbers are so intimidating that the ZR1 keeps a lot of people in check. If you put your right foot down, it goes really fast. That's a choice the driver gets to make." Hagerty said if an enthusiast had to decide between performance bragging rights or a primal driving experience, he expects the latter to win. "Nürburgring lap times were everything a few years ago," he said. "People now want to go out and have the wind in their hair. It doesn't have to be the ultimate anymore."
Yahoo
02-04-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Watch Gordon Murray Automotive Thrash A T.33 Supercar Over Ramps And Cobbles To Calibrate Its Airbags
A $1.8 million supercar doesn't come off the drawing board fully formed and ready for your local multi-millionaire's garage. Gordon Murray Automotive shared last week how it put the T.33 through the ringer to calibrate its airbag control unit. The British supercar was driven through multiple simulated scenarios, all classified as misuse, where engineers wouldn't want the airbags to deploy. The GMA development team took its T.33XB1 development car--also known as James-- to ATP Papenburg, an automotive testing facility in northwestern Germany. The proving grounds feature durability roads, a gravel track, an acoustic track, and a 7.6-mile oval. Gil Martins, a vehicle development engineer, explained, "The car will be fitted with a series of accelerometers and whenever these read a very sharp change in speed, which are telltale signs of a crash, the airbags fire." He noted that GMA puts the accelerometers through misuse situations to collect data and teach the airbag control unit when not to fire, which is a fun excuse to abuse a fast car. Read more: What Car Has The Worst Build Quality You've Ever Seen? The easier tests see the T.33 blast across cobblestones and highway expansion joints, but the obstacles quickly escalate. The supercar could make it all the way down a road of Belgian pave, quarried stone blocks that are far harsher than modern cobblestones, followed by a launch off a small ramp and flying 26 feet. Then, there was a 43 mph boar strike. The engineers aren't sacrificing a real boar for their endeavors: The simulated 176-pound animal was a duffle bag filled with crumb rubber. The strike was so severe that it punctured one of the T.33's front radiators, though it was the 12 mph curb strike which did the most damage, destroying a wheel upright and a brake disc. James will thankfully never have to go through an ordeal like that again. The GMA team repaired the development car and planned to use it for dyno work on the T.33's Cosworth 4-liter V12 engine. For those who can afford it, the T.33 is intended to be the ultimate daily driver. The Gordon Murray-designed car weighs 2,403 pounds, as much as a new Mazda Miata, only unlike the MX-5 its engine produces 607 horsepower. Want more like this? Join the Jalopnik newsletter to get the latest auto news sent straight to your inbox... Read the original article on Jalopnik.
Yahoo
19-03-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Gordon Murray Automotive to Unveil New Supercar at Goodwood 2025
Read the full story on Modern Car Collector British supercar maker Gordon Murray Automotive will debut its latest high-performance model at the 2025 Goodwood Festival of Speed this July, aiming to captivate enthusiasts with another engineering masterpiece. Details of the upcoming vehicle remain under wraps, but industry insiders strongly anticipate it to be the much-awaited GMA T.33S, a sharper, more track-oriented version of the existing T.33 supercar. Gordon Murray Automotive first confirmed development of the T.33S two years ago, positioning it as the most performance-focused variant in the T.33 lineup. The T.33S is expected to feature extensive upgrades designed specifically for track driving, including refined suspension tuning, uprated braking components, and enhanced steering precision. Aerodynamic improvements will likely include significant downforce enhancements, allowing for greater stability and faster cornering speeds. Powering the anticipated T.33S will be a high-revving 4.0-liter V12 engine, derived from the unit found in the standard T.33. That model currently produces 609 horsepower and comes mated to a six-speed transmission. Enthusiasts can expect the T.33S to offer even greater performance, pushing the limits of what a street-legal track machine can achieve. Aside from the T.33S, there has also been speculation around a potential one-off model based on the acclaimed GMA T.50 hypercar. The T.50, widely celebrated for its innovative design and groundbreaking aerodynamics, would provide a perfect platform for an exclusive, bespoke variant to showcase Gordon Murray's design ingenuity. The Goodwood Festival of Speed, scheduled for July 10-13, 2025, remains a highlight of the global automotive calendar. With Gordon Murray Automotive choosing the prestigious event to showcase its newest creation, fans and collectors alike eagerly anticipate what promises to be a significant debut in the world of high-performance cars. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter
