Gordon Murray Strikes Again with the S1Joe Lorio - Car and DriverGordon Murray Special Vehicles has just shown its third supercar, the S1.Mechanically based on last year's S1 LM, the new car is more touring-focused.Only 64 will be built, and all are spoken for.Gordon Murray, the engineering luminary behind the McLaren F1, is not slowing down. His current firm, Gordon Murray Automotive (GMA), has already produced the T.50, sort of a modern-day take on the F1, and the Sixties-inspired T.33. As if those cars weren't special enough, last year he created Gordon Murray Special Vehicles (GMSV), which he says allows for more creative freedom to play with ultra-low production cars.Gordon Murray Special VehiclesLast year at The Quail, Gordon Murray Automotive introduced the first two such cars: the GMSV Le Mans GTR and the GMSV S1 LM. This year, again at The Quail, comes the S1. Yes, this new ultra-limited-production hypercar is based on the S1 LM, but not as closely as you might expect.AdvertisementAdvertisementMurray says that the initial idea was to pluck some of the extreme aero elements off the S1 LM, such as the fixed rear wing, the front splitter, the deep side skirts. "A lot of people said, 'Wouldn't that car look great if it didn't have the aerodynamic appendages on it?'""So, the initial program was going to be, well, let's just take the aero off, and just leave it like that. But we got a bit carried away, so every single body panel on this is different—apart from the roof. But I think the result is good. And we had a lot of fun."Murray works closely with Dario Franchitti, who says, "The S1 LM is a car that you'd drive an hour to a circuit and blast around and drive home. This is a more touring-focused car."Gordon Murray Special VehiclesWithout the aero elements, downforce is drastically reduced, which allowed Murray to develop a more compliant suspension. It has a slightly higher ride height (by about 10 millimeters). The interior retains the center driving position and three-seat layout, but it has more thickly padded seats and more sound insulation material. New engine mounts further reduce in-cabin noise. Dihedral doors—another change from the LM—allow easier ingress and egress and feature roll-down windows rather than fixed Lexan as in the LM.AdvertisementAdvertisementThe mid-mounted 4.2-liter V-12 engine is naturally aspirated and produces 681 horsepower. With dry-sump lubrication, titanium valves and connecting rods, and silicon carbide-coated lightweight pistons, it revs to 12,100 rpm (with the fuel cut at 12,400). And yet, in the S1, it delivers more low-down torque, with 80 percent of peak torque available at just 2500 rpm and 369 pound-feet available at 7000 rpm. As in the S1 LM, the engine mates to a six-speed manual transmission.Gordon Murray Special VehiclesLight weight remains a core goal. The body panels are carbon fiber, and despite the added comfort features, the S1 is claimed to be lighter than the T.50.Discussing the S1 at a preview event on the eve of The Quail, Franchitti added: "[The S1] is a car that you can get into at 5 a.m. in London and blast north up to Scotland to the roads up there that we love and know so well, and spend a weekend blasting around those roads. That's what was in our minds when this car was conceived."Murray adds, "This is a really good example of why we started Special Vehicles."AdvertisementAdvertisementProduction is limited to 64 units total, which is a lot for a GMSV car. "The idea was, generally, we'd do 5, 10, maybe 20," Murray says. "But there was such a demand, and it's very difficult because these folks who buy our cars are very loyal to the brand. It's very difficult when you have about 70 people who want to buy a car, to say we're only going to do 15. So, it got to 64."How much did they pay? On that subject, the company is tight-lipped. To get some idea, we can look at the recent RM Sotheby's auction of an S1 LM, which sold for $20,630,000.Special Vehicles, indeed.➡️ Skip the lot. Let Car and Driver help you find your next car.Shop New Cars Shop Used CarsYou Might Also LikeGift Guide: Best Ride-On Electric Cars for KidsFuture Cars Worth Waiting For: 2025–2029
