Gordon Murray stood at The Quail this afternoon and showed the world the car a lot of people have been quietly hoping he would build. The Gordon Murray Special Vehicles S1 is not a track weapon with wings and splitters bolted on for effect. It is the road-focused sibling to last year’s S1 LM, stripped of the race-car drama and shaped into something that feels closer in spirit to the original McLaren F1 than anything else he has done since.
Sixty-four examples will be built. Every one of them is already spoken for. Murray has said this particular car is an exception to the usual tiny production runs that define his Special Vehicles work. Demand from people who already own his cars forced the number higher. He called it uncomfortable proximity to the hundred T.50s, then added that the shape and the homage made the exception worth making. “It’s never going to happen again. This is it.”
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The S1 shares the chassis with the five unit S1 LM that appeared at the same event a year ago, and that car was a clear homage to the 1995 F1 GTR, which famously won the Le Mans title. Instead of the fixed rear wing, the deep front splitter, and those pretty aggressive side skirts, the new S1s have all new body panels (except for the roof), resulting in a cleaner, more elegant look that retains the central driving position, the roof mounted air scoop, those four circular tailpipes, and the other little giveaways that signal Murray’s hand in design.
Those dihedral doors now swing up and out properly, the windows really roll down instead of remaining stuck on that Lexan, the headlights fit a little better into the bodywork, and the wheels appear to be an homage to a 1992 design study for the original F1. Meanwhile, the active rear aero system has been stowed away under the diffuser, allowing the S1 to remain balanced as speed increases without appearing to have a giant wing pasted on.
Under that rear clamshell sits a 4.2 liter Cosworth V12 just begging to be revved to 12,100 rpm. The official line is 681 horsepower, but peak torque of 369 lb-ft arrives at 7,000 rpm, and 80% of that is already available from a remarkably low 2,500 rpm, as that engine has some serious tech going on, including titanium valves and connecting rods, silicon carbide coated pistons, and dry sump lubrication. Not to mention a polished Inconel exhaust system and a 24-carat gold heatshield, just because.
The six-speed manual boasts a longer sixth gear for highway cruising and a dead straight cable that appears to provide a very precise, rifle-bolt change feel. The LM’s ride height has been raised by 10mm for added comfort on the open road, and the dampers have been retuned to help absorb bumps, but the S1 LM’s wider track and race inspired tire package remains. Variable power steering allows the driver to control how much assistance they receive, whether they want more support around town or less to maintain a clear connection on the open road. Murray hopes to keep the dry weight under 997 kg (of the much lighter T.50) thanks to the carbon fiber body and careful component selection.
Inside, it’s very much the same story, with the driver still in the center seat and passengers on either side. The chairs are more comfortable today, and the sound deadening has been increased. You receive a new lightweight audio system and some upgraded digital displays, but the primary analog gage remains. The cabin remains basic and focused, but it is more willing to tolerate prolonged rides without burning the occupants. Murray has spoken about driving from Los Angeles to Monterey in true luxury, savoring every gear shift and sound from the V12 as the road opens up, because the S1 is a highly exclusive, super analog car that is nevertheless more graceful and useable for long trips than its winged predecessor, the LM.
