Gordon Murray Automotive

McLaren W1 First Drive: Ferocious Hypercar Transcends the Track

You know things are getting serious when McLaren rolls-out the ‘1’ suffix. The origin story is, of course, the very first road car McLaren ever built, the F1. Designed by visionary Formula 1 aerodynamicist and engineer Gordon Murray, it arrived in 1992 and rendered all other supercars obsolete. The tiny, lightweight F1 embraced carbon-fibre material technology, adopted a radical centre seat driving position with two passengers set back and either side and was powered by a 6.1-litre V12 engine from BMW that might as well have been passed down directly from the Gods. Game-changer? That doesn’t even come close to describing its impact, even if at the time sales didn’t come easy… The P1 was very different. Rather than a unique side project from the Formula 1 team, it was instead a statement piece for McLaren Automotive, a new road car division still in its infancy. It arrived in 2013 and was a wild-eyed showstopper. It traded the long-legged gait and supple suspension of the F1 for a weaponized hybrid system capable of delivering 903bhp and huge blue flames from its drainpipe exhaust. In Race mode, it lowered by 2-inches and its massive concave rear wing extended into the sky. The P1 was all about aerodynamic downforce, crazed acceleration and a snorting, angry soundtrack that mixed venomous twin-turbocharged V8 with the manic whirr of electric motors. Not so much a car as a force of nature. And now there’s this: The W1. It’s a true successor to the P1 with a similar brief and, on the face of it, it evolves rather than radically reinvents McLaren’s vision for the ultimate hypercar. This is not a criticism. How could it be when the result is this dramatic and has such staggering, other-worldly potential? The W1 has 1258bhp delivered to the rear wheels. It’s capable of 0-124 mph in 5.8-seconds, the quarter mile in 9.6-seconds at 167 mph and produces 2205lbs of downforce at 174 mph. The active aerodynamics – particularly a rear wing that extends way out beyond the rear of the car – are pure performance art and deliver massive aerodynamic efficiency. The result, aside from looking extremely cool, is that the W1 is McLaren’s fastest road car around a racetrack. Ever. Their benchmark circuit is the breath-taking Handling Track at the Nardo proving ground in southern Italy, where the W1 beats their previous benchmark, the flyweight McLaren Senna, by three seconds per lap. Or “a lifetime” as they call it in racing. Maybe two lifetimes! Core to the W1’s performance is the new ‘Aerocell’ carbon fibre tub. With integrated seats and a raised footwell to allow for inboard pushrod-operated front suspension – which in turn gives air a clean path to the huge underbody diffuser – it’s light, stiff, space efficient and has been instrumental in McLaren realising a full ground-effect concept. Just like last year’s F1 cars, which were the fastest ever made. There is also an active front wing and the aforementioned complex rear wing dubbed ‘Active Long Tail’. All of which is very admirable. But the ‘anhedral’ or gullwing doors and the fantastically shirnked-wrapped feel to the minimalist, highly-focussed interior are a pretty good side effect. The W1 feels special. Those fixed seats are perhaps a shade more upright than expected, and the driving position is less obviously racecar than, for example, the Aston Martin Valhalla or Ferrari F80. However, once you’ve adjusted the pedals (they move on a slider) and the delicate, slim-rimmed and alcantara-trimmed steering wheel, there’s an overwhelming sense of purpose. The cabin is so tightly tailored and imparts a sense of lightness and agility before you so much as start the all-new 4.0-litre twin-turbocharged V8 engine, which makes 916bhp all on its own and revs to 9200rpm. Reach up to a roof-mounted control panel to find the starter button. Maybe this fighter plane trope is a little corny, but somehow you feel thrilled rather than manipulated. The W1 has a sense of humour as well as all that motorsport-derived sophistication. There’s a short delay, but when the engine does fire it’s instant – as the high-powered hybrid system negates the need for an old-school starter motor. A sharp flare of revs tells you that this engine is hyper-responsive and angry. On some deep level your brain and body have been sent all the signals required to prepare for something new and intense. Ahead of us, an empty Mugello racetrack, so press and hold the blue button next to the red starter to select Race mode. The centre display graphic shows the W1’s transformation in real time as it lowers by 37mm at the front and 17mm at the rear whilst simultaneously undocking all that active aero goodness. Race mode is not road legal and is geo-locked. You can show your friends and neighbours the aero dance, but it won’t allow you to select a gear to actually drive unless you’re at a circuit. Incidentally, the rocker switches either side of the display binnacle allow further options now: Toggle up the Handling control on the left for Race+ (for F1-spec super smooth tracks) or stick to Race for gnarlier ones. On the right toggle select ‘GP’ for sustained performance over a stint or ‘Sprint’ to unleash all 1258bhp for a time attack. There’s also a DRS and Boost function on the steering wheel. But I guarantee you won’t have the mental capacity to use them… Exit the pitlane, pin the throttle and W1 takes maybe a millisecond or two to gather its might (the gearing stretches to around 60mph in first, nearly 100mph in second, primarily to aid traction), but then lunges at the first turn with incredible ferocity. It instantly feels light, almost like inertia is no longer a thing. McLaren really does prize lightweight engineering, and at 3084lbs (dry) the W1 has a 278lbs advantage over the Ferrari F80. Plus, Ferrari uses figures for cars fitted with every single carbon fibre option. In reality, the gap is probably wider still. The impression of agility and stunning control continues as the track is unravelled at startling pace. The electric motor mounted to the side of the new 8-speed dual-clutch transmission is good for 342bhp and 324lb ft and it boosts any low rev lethargy the new flat-plane crank V8 might have (spoiler alert: It doesn’t appear to have any), so the W1 just feels massively, almost impossibly powerful at any revs. Even so, there’s real reward for wringing it out to 9200rpm and the power curve feels superheated but organic, too. In Race mode the steering – still hydraulically powered – has less assistance and it is noticeably heavier than other McLarens. However, that resistance is welcome as it gives you something to push against and imparts so much information about the front grip level. New Pirelli Trofeo RS tyres with a bigger front footprint than P1 or Senna really help. The front-end feels incredibly secure and the rear-axle follows with perfectly-aligned precision. The whole car feels super-stiff, completely locked into the surface and inspires confidence, but there’s an inherent agility and adjustability that means you’re quickly confident to push at its limits and really impose yourself on the chassis. It’s such a complex car but the driving experience is intuitive, and the driver feels a key contributor rather than just amazed (or terrified) observer, holding on for dear life. Every dynamic ingredient really is shockingly effective and yet has a subtlety and lightness of touch. From that delicious steering to the incredible brakes, the W1 just feels so mission-focussed, so hooked-up. Only the new 8-speed gearbox is a slightly disappointment. It’s fast and punchy, but after the scintillating energy of the Ferrari F80 ’box it feels competent rather than inspired. Other quibbles – it’s okay to quibble when the starting price is $2.1-million before tax and destination charge. Well, that new twin-turbocharged V8 sounds tightly wound and aggressive but if you have a P1 tucked in the garage you’ll miss the snorting, Darth Vader-style soundscape and all the drama that goes with it. Ferrari does this better, too. The F80 sounds deathly dull from the outside but is a riot of turbochargers, electric motors and all sorts of mechanical fury within the cockpit. Even so, the W1 is wildly entertaining on track, and the rear-drive configuration makes it more of a challenge and more satisfying than the F80 when chasing lap times or just sliding around for fun. In the Ferrari, you must second-guess what the front e-axle might do, whereas in the W1 it’s all on you. There are plenty of tools to help, including the ingenious Variable Drift Control, but somehow the W1 is more heroic. Or at least fools you into feeling more heroic – which is surely the point! On the road? Nimble, loaded with feel and sublime response. The ride is noticeably tougher than, say, a 750S but the control is ramped-up too, and with a bit more speed the whole car finds a delicious rhythm. Sport mode for the drivetrain brings some nice turbo whooshes and chirps, but the noise remains high-quality rather than extreme excitement. It is perhaps the one area the W1 feels just a little too tame. Of course, there’s nothing tame about the raw performance… which is genuinely shocking and literally hurts your neck muscles after a few hours. How McLaren has given the W1 such immense traction through just two driven wheels is beyond me. So, is it worthy of that ‘1’? I think so. Perhaps we won’t be talking about $25-million auction results for the W1 in 30 years from now, as we are for the F1. Perhaps it doesn’t quite have the amazing presence and jaw-dropping star quality of the simply gorgeous P1. But it is such an intense experience and the way it marries stunning track performance with delicate poise and entertainment on normal roads is something akin to magic. Maybe not ‘the one’ but definitely a searing, outrageous addition to McLaren’s fiercest family line. Just 399 W1’s will be built and they’re all sold. I’m not surprised at all. View All McLarens For Sale Images: McLaren Automotive

By Jordan Aquistapace – August 14, 2026

Gordon Murray Special Vehicles Reveals The New S1 Superca...

Professor Gordon Murray is one of those names that has become almost inseparable from the history of supercars and hypercars. From his Formula 1 work to road cars like the McLaren F1, his influence can be seen in countless places across the automotive world, particularly in the way engineers think about weight, packaging, and the driver experience. It remains the same approach that he and Dario Franchitti take with Gordon Murray Special Vehicles, enjoying the freedom and creative control to engineer bespoke supercars like the S1 LM, revealed last year during Monterey Car Week as a tribute to the 1995 Le Mans-winning McLaren F1 GTR. This year at The Quail, A Motorsport Gathering, Gordon Murray Special Vehicles just revealed its new S1 supercar, a touring-focused version of the S1 LM limited to only 64 examples worldwide, all of which have been sold prior to its official debut. Inspiration for the exclusive series comes directly from the owners themselves, something that Gordon Murray prides himself on using as a source for his next projects, simply stemming from the thought of an S1 LM without the aggressive driving experience and all the aero. And that’s exactly where it started, merely removing its aero to achieve a more touring-style appearance, before Gordon and Dario decided to completely reimagine it from the ground up as its own supercar. On the exterior, every carbon fiber body panel is new and completely specific to the S1. The result of removing S1 LM’s large, fixed rear wing, long front splitter, and deep side skirts is a clean silhouette inspired by the classic proportions of the McLaren F1. And that remains one of the main takeaways from seeing it unveiled privately: how authentically it pays homage and preserves the past while embracing the future. The S1 also features bespoke front and rear lighting, with daytime running lights integrated into the light cluster, differentiating the headlight signature from the S1 LM, where the running lights sit in a blade below the headlight. The S1 certainly retains the S1 LM’s width, track, and sophisticated suspension, but ride height is increased by 10mm, and the damping is retuned for comfort without compromising steering precision, agility, and feedback. <- Gallery -> Inside, the S1 keeps the central driving position that has always been a key part of Gordon Murray’s approach, but this time around, the cabin gets a more refined and comfortable feel. Premium leather, bespoke fabrics, better sound insulation, updated screens, and a lightweight custom audio system make the three-seat interior feel much better suited to longer drives. The driver can also adjust the power steering depending on the mood, with more assistance for relaxed cruising or a heavier, more direct feel when the road gets interesting. Even the new dihedral doors get a more practical touch, adding integrated drop-down glass in place of the Lexan ticket window found on the S1 LM. At the heart of the S1 is a bespoke 4.2L naturally aspirated Cosworth V12 making more than 680 horsepower, all sent to the rear wheels. It comes from the same engine family as the S1 LM, but this version has been tuned with touring in mind, giving it the kind of response and character you'd expect from a Gordon Murray engine while making it easier to live with on longer drives. It still shares plenty with the S1 LM, including lightweight pistons, titanium valves and connecting rods, and a dry-sump lubrication system. More importantly, the engine delivers 80% of its torque from just 2,500 rpm, with around 370 lb-ft of torque available at 7,000 rpm. As Gordon Murray Special Vehicles prepares to begin production of its next milestone supercar, those 64 owners will have plenty of time to dream up the perfect specification. Stay tuned to duPont REGISTRY for more reveals and coverage from Monterey Car Week. View All Luxury & Exotic Cars For Sale Image Source: Gordon Murray Automotive

By Khris Bharath – August 11, 2026

Gordon Murray Special Vehicles Will Reveal Its Next Supercar at The Quail on Friday

Gordon Murray Special Vehicles (GMSV) will unveil its next supercar at The Quail on Friday, August 14, marking the British marque’s second consecutive Monterey Car Week debut. Professor Gordon Murray and three-time Indianapolis 500 winner Dario Franchitti will present the car at 11:45 a.m. PDT. The teaser image shows a prominent roof scoop and what appears to be a NACA duct, with the Pacific Ocean in the background. Gordon Murray Special Vehicles launched in 2025 with the S1 LM, revealed at The Quail alongside the Le Mans GTR. Built as a modern counterpart to the McLaren F1 LM and limited to five examples, it pairs a bespoke 4.3-liter Cosworth V12 that produces roughly 710 horsepower with a six-speed manual and a central driving position. An S1 LM later sold for $20.63 million at RM Sotheby's in Las Vegas, a record for the highest non-charity price ever paid for a new car. That result capped a remarkable 2025 for the company, a year that also brought the Le Mans GTR's debut and the completion of the 100th T.50 at Highams Park. Gordon Murray Automotive subsequently secured a $120 million investment from Halo Cars Group. “It is always a pleasure to return to California, and I am looking forward to sharing our latest Special Vehicles creation with everyone attending The Quail and enthusiasts around the world. We have been working on something very special. I can’t wait for the covers to come off.” - Professor Gordon Murray CBE, Group Executive Chairman The McLaren connection carries added weight during this particular week. Nick Mason's 1996 McLaren F1 GTR, which carries a $35 million estimate, leads our list of the top 10 collector cars set to headline the Monterey Car Week 2026 auctions. The S1 LM was created to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the McLaren F1 GTR’s 1995 victory at Le Mans. View this post on Instagram A post shared by 𝗚𝗼𝗿𝗱𝗼𝗻 𝗠𝘂𝗿𝗿𝗮𝘆 (@gordonmurrayautomotive) The Le Mans GTR will also return to The Quail, now appearing as experimental prototype XP1. Limited to just 24 examples, the Le Mans GTR is powered by a high-revving Cosworth V12 capable of spinning to 12,100 rpm. The limited-run model recently completed a run up the hill at Goodwood, where we also got the opportunity to ride with Franchitti in XP1 at Goodwood. More recently, the car made its dynamic track debut at the Le Mans Classic in July. “With a sizable proportion of Gordon Murray vehicles destined for the US, Car Week always feels like a second home. Since the S1 LM and Le Mans GTR debuted here last year, we’ve made major progress in their development, and the new model will soon join them on the road to production.” - Dario Franchitti MBE Alongside the main reveal, a selection of customer-owned T.50 supercars will be displayed around the central lawn, offering attendees a rare opportunity to see several examples together. duPont REGISTRY will be at The Quail to bring you the reveal and an exclusive look at the new model. View Supercars and Exotic Cars For Sale Image Source: Gordon Murray Automotive

Dario Franchitti Breaks A GT3 Record To Sign Off The Production Gordon Murray Automotive T.50s

By Tyler Rampersaud – March 04, 2026

Dario Franchitti Breaks Record In The GMA T.50s

Gordon Murray Automotive is the result of its namesake’s vision, who is one of the most legendary designers in the automotive world after being behind the McLaren F1, the Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren, and countless racing icons. The lineup from the new manufacturer not only carries inspiration form Murray’s past creations, but also seeks to combine performance-focused innovation with traditional approaches and driver-focused excellence. With incredibly high-revving naturally aspirated V12 engines created with Cosworth, manual transmissions, and an aerodynamic fan in the case of the T.50, the Gordon Murray Automotive lineup champions tradition and racing legacy, making supercars that are incredible collector-grade masterpieces. However, the T.50s, a track-only racing version of the flagship T.50, takes the motorsport inspiration of the T.50 even further. Only 25 Gordon Murray Automotive T.50s track-only supercars are going to be made, and the production spec of the race car has just been signed off, with none other than legendary racing driver Dario Franchitti behind the wheel. Taking the car to the Bahrain International Circuit for its final prototype Production Approval Test, Franchitti, who has four IndyCar World Championship titles and three Indy 500 wins under his belt, raced the car around the track, beating its fastest GT3 lap time by an incredible seven seconds. <- Gallery -> After achieving the 1:53.03 lap time on the final day of testing, exceeding 184 mph and 2.7Gs of lateral G-force, Franchitti and Gordon Murray Automotive are able to confirm that the T.50s is ready for production. About the car, Franchitti said, “The T.50s is the most engaging car I’ve ever driven. For pure fun factor, it surpasses all other track-only models, my favourite supercars of all time, and even the race cars I drove to multiple world championship wins. Gordon set out to create the greatest on-track driving experience ever. The team has more than delivered. The feedback, responsiveness, performance, sound, visibility, braking, stability… everything… it’s just perfect.” All 25 customer cars are going to be completed by mid-2026, and weighing under a ton with V12 power that revs above 12,000 rpm, and aerodynamic design that’s able to generate more downforce than the car weighs, the new Gordon Murray Automotive T.50s is an incredible track-only masterpiece that represents the culmination of decades of racing and performance-focused design from throughout Gordon Murray’s career. About the car, the legendary designer said, “This car was never about setting lap times. We simply designed the lightest, optimally-powered, most driver-centric track car possible – with the right formula, speed comes naturally. T.50s is designed from the ground up to deliver the greatest possible on‑track driving experience, without compromise.” With the production of the new T.50s about to begin, tracks across the globe will soon get a taste of Gordon Murray Automotive’s unbridled approach to purist track excellence. View All Exotic Cars For Sale Image Source: Gordon Murray Automotive

By Khris Bharath – January 29, 2026

Gordon Murray Reveals New Le Mans GTR Livery at Rétromobile

The 50th anniversary of Rétromobile is now underway in Paris, and Gordon Murray Automotive unveiled the GMSV Le Mans GTR livery at the Joe Macari stand. The London-based independent performance and classic car dealer has curated race-bred 18 vehicles for its 2026 Rétromobile presentation, with the Le Mans GTR taking center stage. British pop star Jay Kay was present for the unveiling, adding a cultural note to a display rooted firmly in motorsport history. View this post on Instagram A post shared by 𝗚𝗼𝗿𝗱𝗼𝗻 𝗠𝘂𝗿𝗿𝗮𝘆 Automotive (@gordonmurrayautomotive) “We’re excited to reveal the new GMSV Le Mans GTR livery at Rétromobile, a design influenced by the longtail era that shaped these icons. Inspired by legendary endurance racers such as the Porsche 917, it honours the engineering and aesthetic balance of 70s–90s longtail machines while expressing our modern Special Vehicles Design language. For me, it’s a celebration of where our inspiration began and a statement about where Special Vehicles is heading next.” - Prof. Gordon Murray CBE The GMSV Le Mans GTR debuted at Monterey Car Week last year, and the launch car was blue. The car shown in Paris appears in a titanium-toned matte finish, with a twin stripe running the full length of the body from the nose to the wing. “Longtail racing cars perfectly combine aerodynamic benefit and aesthetic balance. I've always loved their mix of considered engineering and flowing design. Our Le Mans GTR timelessly reimagines the longtail racers I’ve admired since I began designing cars, adding contemporary aerodynamics and our exquisitely engineered chassis, engine, and transmission.” - Prof. Murray This moment arrives in the wake of several milestones for the British marque. In 2025, Gordon Murray celebrated 60 years of automotive design at Goodwood, marking a career that spans championship-winning Formula One cars and some of the most influential road cars of the modern era, like the McLaren F1. That legacy now has new financial backing as Gordon Murray Automotive has secured a $120 million investment from Halo Cars Group, providing capital to expand engineering capability and accelerate programs like Gordon Murray Special Vehicles and a product outline through 2039. The Le Mans GTR sits within that new GMSV division, created to pay homage to the motorsport heritage behind Murray’s name while developing low-volume limited-run machines that push performance and packaging discipline further. The GMSV Le Mans GTR is limited to just 24 examples, and every element of the car reflects Murray’s seven guiding principles of lightweight design, timeless engineering, art, exclusivity, and driving perfection. View Cars For Sale On duPont REGISTRY Images: Gordon Murray Automotive

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