Gordon Murray S1
The Gordon Murray Special Vehicles S1 is timeless confidence, celebrating a unique approach to Driving Perfection.
Gordon Murray Special Vehicles has revealed the new S1 supercar at The Quail during Monterey Car Week, a touring-focused evolution of the S1 LM that exudes timeless confidence and celebrates a unique approach to Driving Perfection.
The naturally aspirated, V12-powered, manual supercar is an evolution of the S1 LM platform, which is optimized for mechanical grip, rather than high downforce, to offer a distinctive driving experience. The revised suspension adds comfort and refinement for long-distance journeys, while retaining Gordon Murray's signature Driving Perfection philosophy. The S1 commission is the latest model from Gordon Murray Special Vehicles, where all seven design principles are pushed to their most extreme expression.
While the S1 shares its family DNA with the S1 LM (the Special One), its character and purpose are distinctly different. The S1 LM was conceived as the most intense, road-legal, race-inspired celebration of Gordon Murray's 1995 24 Hours of Le Mans victory. The S1 evolves the elegant design language of the S1 LM, while reframing the set-up for fast, engaging, long-distance road driving.
With the S1, we wanted to show how much beauty and purity there is in this design when the more extreme aerodynamic elements of the S1 LM are stripped away. It has the same intensity, response, and engineering integrity, but has been tuned for a different purpose. This is a car you could drive along the coast from Los Angeles to Monterey in real comfort, still enjoying every gearshift, every corner, and every note of the V12 when the road opens up. It is exclusive, analogue, and deeply driver focused, but also more elegant, more refined, and more usable over distance.
Professor Gordon Murray CBE, Group Executive Chairman
The S1 removes the S1 LM's large, fixed rear wing, long front splitter, and deep side skirts; every exterior body panel is new. The result is a cleaner silhouette inspired by classic proportions. A new active rear aero system is integrated into the bodywork, adapting to the demands of high-speed stability and braking. The focus moves away from extreme downforce and towards mechanical grip, balance, and confidence on the road.
At the heart of the S1 is a bespoke 4.2-liter naturally aspirated Cosworth V12 producing up to 690 PS at a shrieking 12,100 rpm. Derived from the same lineage as the S1 LM engine, the 4.2-liter unit has been developed to deliver exceptional response, while retaining the sound, immediacy, and character expected from a Gordon Murray engine. The low-inertia, high-revving engine features a suite of competition-spec components, including silicon carbide-coated lightweight pistons, titanium valves, titanium connecting rods, and a dry-sump lubrication system. With effortless touring in mind, the S1 features a broader torque range, delivering 80% of its torque from just 2,500 rpm and peaking at around 500 Nm at 7,000 rpm.
The engine is paired with a six-speed manual gearbox, featuring a touring sixth gear as standard. New straighter gearbox cable routing helps deliver the precise, rifle-bolt shift feel that remains central to the car's physical connection between driver and machine.
The S1 retains the S1 LM's width, track, lightweight suspension architecture, and wider tires, but ride height is increased by 10 mm, and the damping is retuned for greater compliance while preserving steering precision, agility, and feedback.
Lightweight engineering remains fundamental. Ultra-lightweight carbon fiber body panels, lightweight suspension components, and Gordon Murray's obsession with weight reduction contribute to an overall target weight below that of the T.50, despite the S1's more luxurious cabin trim, enhanced sound system, and additional acoustic refinement.
The S1 features bespoke front and rear lighting, with daytime running lamps integrated into the light cluster, differentiating the headlight signature from the S1 LM, where the running lights sit in a narrow blade below the headlight. Unique main beam auxiliary lights sit low within the air intake at the nose of the car - a nod to the 1992 Monaco show car design by Murray, which featured similar lower lights, an element that never saw production.
Further unique features include distinctive A-pillar-mounted mirrors that integrate a discreet rear-view camera system and all-new lightweight wheels inspired by the iconic Monaco 1992 show car. The engine bay presents the V12 as a centerpiece, with the polished Inconel exhaust and 24-carat gold-plated heat shield.
Inside, the S1 retains the central driving position and low scuttle height that define Gordon Murray's driver focus, while introducing a more refined and luxurious interpretation of the S1 LM cockpit. Premium leather, bespoke fabrics, tailored trim, touring-level seat comfort, enhanced acoustic insulation, revised infotainment screens, and a bespoke lightweight audio system make the three-seat cabin more suited to long-distance use.
The driver can tailor the car's feel through switchable, selectable power steering, choosing assistance for relaxed cruising or a more unfiltered connection on dynamic roads. The new dihedral doors with integrated drop-down glass replace the Lexan race-inspired ticket window from the S1 LM. These doors provide a wider opening for greater ingress and egress, further underscoring the S1's shift towards everyday usability.
Production of the S1 will be exclusively limited to 64 units worldwide. Each car will be individually commissioned and specified by its owner; pricing remains undisclosed.