Monterey Car Week has always been a renowned stage for some of history’s most renowned supercars to make their impactful global debuts, and things were no different this year for Gordon Murray Special Vehicles (GMSV). Named after its South African-born founder who is globally revered for having conceived & engineered a string of championship winning Grand Prix cars along with the revolutionary McLaren F1 supercar – still widely acclaimed as the greatest drivers’ car of all time – the specialist British manufacturer stunned California by revealing its first two models, in the form of a supercar pairing honouring 30 years since Gordon’s historic triumph at Le Mans.
While its parent Gordon Murray Automotive (GMA) focuses on hand building exquisite limited production supercars, GMSV will take things several levels even higher to embody Professor Gordon Murray’s heritage of championing visionary driver-centered design and bespoke automotive craftsmanship by creating one-off commissions & highly exclusive limited edition special designs. This evolution was executed in response to the sustained, continually growing demand seen from worldwide car enthusiasts and collectors in seeking unique vehicles that truly transcend convention.
Reflecting Gordon’s strong passion for endurance racing and the emphatic 1995 Le Mans win for which his McLaren F1 GTR is most famous for, both of these T.50-based cars were directly inspired by that great endurance road race classic, while delivering utterly contemporary interpretations of that era’s racers which were much more closely related to their road-going counterparts.
As GMSV’s first ever bespoke client commission, the S1 LM’s moniker denotes its unique positioning as the ‘Special One’. Immediately bringing the exquisite McLaren F1 LM to one’s mind, indeed the LM designation here also indicates both Gordon’s and the client’s passions for that landmark 1995 Le Mans win. The key ideas here were to pay tribute to the Le Mans-winning F1 GTR #01R’s timeless beauty with visually prominent high-downforce aerodynamic elements; whilst pushing Gordon’s seven key principles further than ever before with a single-minded focus on light weight, absolute performance & emotive driving perfection above all else, exclusivity, and a return to beautiful engineering art.
Speaking of the S1 LM, Group Executive Chairman Professor Gordon Murray said, “I love timeless design. I never want us to join the race to make the most outrageous looking supercar at (the) expense of balance, beauty and proportion. Look at the result, the car is timeless and beautiful.”
Directly channeling the track honed aesthetics of both the 1995 F1 GTR and its penultimate LM road evolution, the S1 LM features an even more dynamic profile, with a newly lowered roofline and all-new ultra lightweight carbon fiber bodywork. Notable aerodynamic enhancements comprise a front splitter, rear diffuser, and twin plane rear wing, significantly elevating downforce & stability at spirited driving speeds. Utilizing modern technology, both front and rear lights inspired by its famous forebear are housed within precision-engineered housings integrated seamlessly into its exquisitely sculpted bodywork.
Placing its engine at the center of things, the S1 LM further expresses Gordon’s belief that this is the heart of any car and its driving experience. With the T50’s signature rear fan & oil cooling pack having been removed, this has freed up more volume for a uniquely Cosworth-engineered 4.3-litre V12 generating more than 700 hp. Besides its larger displacement, this new V12 was developed with lightened internals & a higher compression ratio to maximize its power, torque, and sharp throttle responsiveness that has proven to be a crucial characteristic of Gordon’s finest cars. Revving out to a sonorously howling 12,100 rpm, the V12’s distinctively harmonious soundtrack serenades the world around it through a bespoke Inconel exhaust system heat-shielded in 18-karat gold foil, terminating evocatively with a set of central quad tailpipes – another element inspired by 1995’s triumphant Le Mans legend.
Its 6-speed manual gearbox pairs the T.50s’ casing with T.50 internals, and a linkage optimized for shorter shift throws with rifle-bolt precision. Matching the S1 LM’s heightened power & downforce, a bespoke chassis setup with unique damper settings, new geometry, and a lower ride height combine to deliver a sharply connected driving experience that prizes agility over cruising comfort. Solid engine mounts have been innovatively engineered for superb transient handling dynamics, without transmitting any unwanted noise or vibration to the cabin. As hardcore as it all sounds though, this will be a completely road legal & usable supercar.
Inside, the S1 LM’s uniquely race-inspired cockpit is a true work of engineering art, sculpted ergonomically around its central driving position with a fighter jet cockpit-style environment defined by its incredibly minimalist architecture, almost skeletal in execution. This has truly enabled Gordon and his team to explore new lightweighting concepts, showcasing bespoke craftsmanship utilizing the finest ultra light materials at every touchpoint. From a visual standpoint at least, it looks to be a slightly more livable cabin than that of the F1 LM which inspired it. Passengers are accommodated on bucket style seating moulded right into the chassis’ monocoque, and each lucky individual gets their own 5-point harness along with an intercom headset to facilitate conversations while protecting their eardrums; that incredible V12 engine will probably be quite a screamer when it gets going into its full stride.
The client has commissioned GMSV’s Bespoke division to build just five such S1 LMs at an undisclosed price, reflecting the 5 customer F1 LMs built in the 90s and scheduled to be delivered at the start of 2026.
Meanwhile, as an even more inspired conception, GMSV’s sleek Le Mans GTR channels Murray’s own 1997 F1 GTR ‘Longtail’ evolution built to remain competitive at Le Mans, while also drawing inspirations from other iconic longtail race cars including the Porsche 917, Alpha Romeo Tipo 33/ & Matra-Simca MS660 with strongly aerodynamic-led SV Design language distinguishing it from the purity of GMA’s supercars.
Gordon added, “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.”
Combining full road going capabilities with racetrack honed driving precision, the Le Mans GTR remains powered by the GMA T.50’s high-revving Cosworth V12 engine and 6-speed manual transmission. Yet, nearly every other element of it has been revamped in pursuit of its more circuit focused.
Its sleek form makes use of enhanced Passive Boundary Layer Control to minimize drag, while generating maximum ground effect aerodynamics with an aero-balanced front splitter, deep side skirts, and a twin-channel rear diffuser. A deep, full-width fixed rear wing builds further on this with optimally balanced downforce & drag, even without the rear fan utilized by the T.50 & T.50s. There are also larger frontal air vents & new side-pod intakes just ahead of the rear wheels, for increased engine and transmission cooling.
Despite the Le Mans GTR’s heightened track focus, its interior quality is fully retained; newly crafted driver-focused components include the entire dashboard, all dials and switchgear, seat cushioning & pedal pads. And although its engine remains unchanged, a ram-air intake built into the roof further enhances the cabin audial experience with greater induction sound, while a new twin exhaust exiting in between the diffuser tunnels balances out the V12’s deeply riveting soundtrack.
Further enhancing its circuit abilities, the Le Mans GTR’s chassis boasts stiffer & lighter suspension, optimized weight distribution, and a wider track with larger Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tyres. Just 24 of them will be built in an exclusively limited series, one to represent each hour of that famous race in 1995, and they’ve all been pre-sold in collaboration with Joe Macari Performance Cars. With each individual car having been paired to its lucky owner, they now have the liberty to specify colours & materials to honour those iconic longtail racers from years past, or commission a highly customized modern cockpit in partnership with GMSV’s creative design team to reflect their own unique vision. With development already underway together with the S1 LM, first production examples of the Le Mans GTR are also targeted for completion in 2026.
