Gordon Murray gave the world the McLaren F1 in the 1990s as its designer. After operating his design business for years, Murray formed his own car company in 2017: Gordon Murray Automotive, and quickly announced he was working on a true successor to the legendary F1.
Road & Track spoke with Gordon Murray at the 2019 Geneva International Motor Show, and reported new information on the F1 successor on Tuesday. First and foremost, the car will be powered by a naturally aspirated V-12. The second piece of good news? It will use a manual transmission.
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Although McLaren has revealed what it calls the successor to the F1 in the Speedtail, Murray said he believes no company has done something like the F1 since the car debuted. There are a number of reasons why. Electrification and smaller displacements can help provide greater power outputs than the BMW-sourced V-12 in the F1. However, a V-12 is key to recapturing the F1's magic, Murray said. So, the new car will have one, but he wouldn't share the supplier yet.
Murray added he believes right now may be the last chance companies have to build outrageous supercars in the spirit of the F1, which is why it won't feature a smaller engine or any forced induction. Yet, the car will be big on lightweight technologies. The designer said people applaud cars that weigh around 3,300 pounds, but this F1 successor with be under 2,200 pounds, he said.
One final nod to the original F1? The new car will also boast a central driving position with two seats flanking the driver. That's the best position to let the driver place the car accurately on a winding road, Murray noted.
Gordon Murray design exhibition
Interestingly, Murray said the car will not be based on the iStream architecture he's championed for years now. Instead, a carbon-fiber monocoque will form the basis of the F1 successor. The iStream technology will underpin a new F1-inspired sports car coming from IGM in the future, however. All cars from the company will wear an "IGM" badge, which stands for the Brit's initials: Ian Gordon Murray. IGM plans to build many models in the future.
Expect IGM's new supercar next year, according to Murray. We can hardly wait. A new supercar is news, but a supercar from the man behind one of the most beloved supercars of all time is even better.