Shropshire Star

Legendary car designer launches new manufacturing company

Gordon Murray Automotive will build low-volume models that “buck the trend” of vehicles becoming more complicated

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The legendary designer of the McLaren F1 supercar is set to launch his own car manufacturing company.

Gordon Murray Automotive will make low-volume cars of its own design, as well as building for external companies, and will use iStream, the manufacturing process designed by Murray to simplify vehicle production.

(Gordon Murray Design)
(Gordon Murray Design)

The company has announced that its first vehicle will be a flagship model, which will be inspired by the principles of the F1 that Murray designed in the 1990s and will “buck the current trend for ever more complicated and heavy vehicles”.

The new automotive brand will be a sister company to the existing design team at Surrey-based Gordon Murray Design, which counts TVR among its customers – the relaunched sports car brand is also using iStream to build its new models.

Murray said: “The new manufacturing business significantly expands the capabilities of our group of companies.

“With our first new car, we will demonstrate a return to the design and engineering principles that have made the McLaren F1 such an icon.”

(McLaren)
(McLaren)

The move comes on the 25th anniversary of the McLaren F1 entering production, which was unique for having a Formula 1-inspired central driving position. The supercar was powered by a 6.1-litre BMW V12 engine making 620bhp and was housed in a gold-lined engine bay as that was the best material to manage heat.

In 1998 it took the title of fastest production car after achieving 240.1mph. The record stood until 2005, when the Koenigsegg CCR hit 241.92mph.

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