Have you ever laid awake at night imagining what a modern McLaren F1 LM would look like? Well, you can finally rest easy, because Gordon Murray Special Vehicles is showing us.
Murray, of course, is the 79-year-old former Formula 1 designer for both McLaren and Brabham, who then went on to other high-performance projects, including sports cars: He designed the McLaren F1 GTR that not only won the 1995 24 Hours of Le Mans, but took four of the top five places. Murray left McLaren to form Gordon Murray Automotive in 2017, a premiere low-volume sports car builder. To say its products have been successful is an understatement, as according to the company website, “The exclusive production run for the T.50, T.50s, T.33 and T.33 Spider have all been secured and allocated.”
As a newly formed sister company of Gordon Murray Automotive, the Special Vehicles division is dedicated to creating completely bespoke, one-off models. Unique cars for the discerning billionaire, if you will, who must only be seen in supercars of which only a handful exist.
Unveiled during Monterey Car Week at The Quail, we now have the first two models under the GMSV name; the S1 LM, and the Le Mans GTR.
The S1 LM is the first fully bespoke commission by the company. The underpinnings are loosely based on the T.50 supercar, but with a few key differences. The 3.9-liter Cosworth V-12 has been bumped up to 4.3 liters, now making over 690 horsepower, and capable of revving to 12,100 rpm. Notably, the unique ground-effects-enhancing fan of the T.50 has been removed. The S1 LM instead relies solely on traditional aerodynamics to create its downforce by way of a fixed rear wing and large front splitter.
The design is clearly very much inspired by the McLaren F1 LM; the doors, the hood, the front bumper and rear corners are all strikingly reminiscent of that Le Mans-winning supercar of Gordon Murray’s past, and it’s no accident. In speaking with Philip Lee, CEO of Gordon Murray Group, the customer who commissioned this build wanted just that; one of the most iconic cars of all time, wrapped up in modern engineering and style. As stated by Murray himself: “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.”
Speaking of that customer, there will be five of the S1 LMs built, and apparently that (unnamed) customer is buying all of them. Certainly we’d enjoy taking a different Gordon Murray creation to work every weekday.
The second car on display is dubbed the Le Mans GTR. It has a smooth, flowing look that takes inspiration from the longtail racers of the late 20th century, designed both by Murray, as well as several other longtails, such as the Porsche 917.
“Longtail racing cars perfectly combine aerodynamic benefit and aesthetic balance,” Murray says. “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.” This car shown is not as far along in the engineering process as the S1 LM, but the company claims that when complete it will be slot in as a slightly more track-focused offering than the T.50.
Like the S1 LM, it uses a version of the same naturally-aspirated V-12 and six-speed manual transmission, but GMSV claims that almost every other aspect of the car will be changed.
One change pointed out to us is on that engine; as this car also does away with the rear-mounted fan, the exhaust has been rerouted as a longer, lower system that they claim will create a deeper, bassier sound than its screaming, high-pitched counterparts. As ex-racer and current Murray test driver (and 2025 honoree at The Amelia) Dario Franchitti put it, “It’s got a little bit of Barry White in its voice.”
Murray says the Le Mans GTR is on track to begin deliveries in 2026. Twenty-four cars will be built, one for each hour of the race that inspired its name. However, as is par for the course nowadays, they are all already spoken for, and at undisclosed but undoubtedly seven-figure prices.
