Gordon Murray has revealed another supercar built around the kind of ingredients that have become increasingly rare: a naturally aspirated V12, a manual transmission, rear-wheel drive, and an obsessive focus on low weight. Called the S1, the new model debuted at The Quail during Monterey Car Week as a more road-focused evolution of the extreme S1 LM.
The similarities to Murray’s legendary McLaren F1 are difficult to miss. The S1 uses a three-seat layout with the driver positioned in the center, combines lightweight construction with a high-revving V12, and favors mechanical involvement over outright technological complexity.
Unlike the track-biased S1 LM, however, this car has been engineered for long-distance road use. Gordon Murray Special Vehicles says the S1 has revised suspension, additional acoustic refinement, a more luxurious cabin, and an active aerodynamic package intended to provide stability without relying on huge fixed wings.
Production will be limited to just 64 examples worldwide, with each car individually commissioned by its owner. Pricing has not been announced, although the combination of exclusivity, bespoke specification, and V12 engineering guarantees this will sit firmly in the upper reaches of the collector-car market.
A Cosworth V12 That Revs To 12,100 RPM
At the heart of the S1 sits a bespoke 4.2-liter naturally aspirated Cosworth V12 producing 690 PS, equivalent to roughly 681 horsepower. The engine reaches its maximum power at an extraordinary 12,100 rpm and delivers around 500 Nm, or 369 lb-ft, of torque at 7,000 rpm.
Competition-inspired components include silicon-carbide-coated lightweight pistons, titanium valves, titanium connecting rods, and dry-sump lubrication. Gordon Murray says 80 percent of the available torque arrives from just 2,500 rpm, which should make the engine far more flexible on the road than its lofty redline might suggest.
Power reaches the rear wheels through a six-speed manual gearbox fitted with a touring-oriented sixth gear. Straighter gearbox cable routing was also developed to improve shift precision, maintaining the mechanical, deliberate action that Murray considers central to the driving experience.
It Is Designed To Be Driven Long Distances
The S1 keeps the basic lightweight suspension architecture, width and track of the S1 LM, but its ride height has been raised by 10 mm. Revised damping adds compliance for road use, while Porsche-rivaling levels of steering feedback and agility remain part of the brief.
Aerodynamics have also been toned down compared with the LM. The large fixed rear wing, extended splitter, and deep side skirts are gone, replaced by an integrated active rear aero system that automatically adapts to high-speed driving and braking conditions.
Every exterior body panel has been redesigned for the S1, creating a cleaner shape with obvious references to classic Gordon Murray designs. New lighting, A-pillar-mounted mirrors with integrated cameras, and lightweight wheels inspired by Murray’s 1992 Monaco show car reinforce the retro-modern theme.
The McLaren F1 Influence Is Everywhere
The cabin makes the historical connection especially clear. The driver sits in the center with two passenger seats positioned slightly behind on either side, preserving the unusual layout that helped make the original McLaren F1 so distinctive.
This time, the environment is deliberately more comfortable than the stripped-back S1 LM. Premium leather, bespoke fabrics, upgraded acoustic insulation, revised infotainment displays, and a lightweight audio system are included to make longer journeys considerably easier to live with.
New dihedral doors with conventional drop-down glass improve access compared with the S1 LM’s race-inspired arrangement. Even with those additional comfort features, Gordon Murray is targeting an overall weight below that of the already featherweight T.50.
Only 64 Buyers Will Get One
Murray describes the S1 as a car intended to combine analogue engagement with genuine touring ability. In other words, this is not a stripped competition machine wearing license plates, but a supercar designed to be enjoyable across hundreds of road miles before delivering its full character when the route becomes interesting.
That philosophy makes the S1 feel like one of the clearest modern spiritual successors to the McLaren F1 yet. It does not copy the original outright, yet its central driving position, three-seat layout, manual transmission, lightweight construction, and naturally aspirated V12 follow the same fundamental recipe.
With only 64 examples planned, seeing one outside a concours lawn or private collection will likely be difficult. Still, in an era increasingly dominated by turbocharging, hybrid systems, and dual-clutch transmissions, the S1 stands out simply by pursuing a very different definition of progress.
Would you take the Gordon Murray S1 over a modern Ferrari or Lamborghini supercar? Does the combination of a manual gearbox, a 12,100-rpm V12, and central driving position make it the closest true successor to the McLaren F1?