Gordon Murray to make a true successor to the F1- T50

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Exciting news, but that wasn't all from Murray's new brand, IGM. Murray announced that he was also creating a true successor to the iconic F1.


We caught up with Murray on the sidelines of the 2019 Geneva Motor Show, where he gave us the rundown on this new supercar.

"I truly believe nobody's done another McLaren F1 since the F1," Murray said. "And that's because it was such a single-person focused design, lightweight, [focused] on driver feedback and feel, the V-12 sound, the feedback in the steering. . . and the attention to the detail of the engineering.

"It's not a criticism that nobody's done that, but if you're making 700 LaFerraris, you can't do that. You have to use production bits. So, I thought it was about time somebody did another McLaren F1.

Who better than the man behind the original? And with electrification playing an increasingly important role in all cars, and true lightweights becoming more difficult to build, Murray believes this might be the last chance to make such a car.

As the successor to the F1, this new car will use a naturally aspirated V-12—though Murray won't divulge a supplier—and a manual gearbox. It won't use the iStream chassis design of his more-affordable sports car, but instead a carbon monocoque, and Murray heavily implied that it'll use the F1's iconic delta-formation three-seat layout with the driver in the center.


"The only place to drive a supercar really is in the middle, Murray said. "Particularly on a narrow, windy road. You can place the car so accurately."

And like the F1 before it, this car will be light.

"Nowadays, when somebody announces a new supercar and it's 3300 pounds (1500 kilos), they get applauded, which I find unbelievable," Murray said. "This car is under 2200 pounds (1000 kilos)."

That's lighter than an F1, which is impressive considering it's got to meet lots of safety requirements that the original didn't when it was built in the mid-1990s. It should only be slightly bigger, too, which is to say, not very big.

Murray told us the car won't be launched till next year, but his company is working on selling them right now. Don't expect many to be built, and don't expect it to be cheap, either, though Murray didn't provide exact figures. If any come to the US, it'll be under a show and display exemption because Murray doesn't plan on going through the full federalization process for such a low-volume car. That won't be the case with his lightweight sports car.

We've got of cool insight from Murray, so watch this space for more. Until then, feel free to fantasize about a successor to the F1.
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Road &Track
 
Here, have an sketch:

Iconic designs by Gordon Murray.jpg
 
This makes me have a lot of thoughts. Does Britain do April fools in June? This is like the car version of fan-fiction. Manual trans? Then I remember the kind of guy Gordon Murray is, and it's like, OK yeah. God bless him, I wish him all the luck in the world in actually getting these built.
 
Latvija27
I will believe it when I see it, Is it legal to have a fan on the back of road car?
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don't see why it would be, if it's fully enclosed in the bodywork as it appears to be... I mean, spinner rims are technically legal, right?
 
I get the idea behind the central seating position, but the three-seater is just such an odd cumbersome design. I don't feel like the central seating could possibly be worth it. Maybe if the central seat were on some kind of side-ways moving track that would enable you to sit in it more easily and then slide over into position (without leaving a track in front of the seat behind of course). Or maybe if it just rotated one direction (where there was not a 3rd seat) instead of the other direction (where there was a seat slightly behind) you could step out of it sideways.

I dunno, it's an admirable goal I guess, but I can't see a clean way to do it. Maybe coming in through the roof or something.

ffs4ybcofar01.jpg
 
I would buy it if I had the funds. It could be the last super car with an H pattern shifter. Love the F1, love the concept.
 
The figures all sound very ambitious, especially the proposed sub-1000kg weight. The engine almost sounds like a work of fiction. The main interesting thing about it is the fan technology.

Sounds exciting, but my skepticism says there's a whiff of fantasy vaporware about it.
 
LOonIE
I would buy it if I had the funds. It could be the last super car with an H pattern shifter. Love the F1, love the concept.
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I think the 911 R showed that for the right supercars, manual still makes sense to a lot of people (who can also actually afford it.)

I think dialing in this gnarly engine to easily to drive it smoothly with MT would be a big challenge. At least torque would be on the lower side, which could help reduce the frequency of those heart attack moments that the original F1 is sort of famous for.
 
I've read it twice. Will this be available globally, as is, or will buyers outside the UK have to add 2.5mph bumpers?

Why is this concept, that is well along, questionable? A GT-R does surprising things at nearly twice the weight. This car has similar hp and far less weight, supposedly way better aero, most likely better tyre technology, 20+yo advanced everything else. The main question to asked is: Will it hold together in a prang, if another driver makes a right turn, from the left hand lane?:sly:
 
I very much like and admire Murray's creations either for racecars or for roadcars. A true genious of his era imho. McLaren F1 especially is the most advanced car made compared to its year of construction for me.
 
This car will be the best if he meets all those targets. I thought the McLaren Senna was a great successor to the F1, though it's missing the center driving position, and manual gearbox it still has the ultra light weight that was the best part of the F1 but the T.50 obviously takes the word successor quite literally.

This reminds me once again of how disappointing the Speedtail is. Frankly it's almost nothing like the F1 other than the driving position.
 
I like the fact that it's not going the route of more and more power like all other super/hypercars. Lightweighting is the way to go 👍 Really excited about the fan system, ever since the Red Bull X1 I've been wanting to see something similar in a road car. About the only thing I'd change is the manual gearbox. I'm all for a pure driving experience but I think that will stick out like a sore thumb in comparison to all the other tech and performance in the car.

The Formula 1 channel has also released a podcast with the man himself on the day of the announcement. Worth a listen 👍 He also mentions that racing is not out of the possibility too ;)
 
The engine concept doesn't sound very far removed from the 11 000 rpm Cosworth lump destined for the Aston Martin Valkyrie. It's quite a bit smaller (lighter) and revs 9% faster, so it will be very racy, but that makes it special.

What immediately strikes me is: why isn't Ferrari, out of all of the "prestigious" manufacturers, doing this? Their racy, small-displacement V12s cemented an icon in the '50s and '60s.
 

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