McLaren F1 reborn? Gordon Murray to reveal new supercar

Damien O’Carroll

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  • Legendary designer and engineer Gordon Murray will reveal his latest car this week at Monterey Car Week.
  • The new vehicle is likely to be a road-going version of the S1 LM that was revealed last year.
  • The S1 LM was a tribute to the racing version of the legendary McLaren F1.

Gordon Murray Special Vehicles has announced it will reveal its latest creation this week at the Monterey Car Week in California. The global debut will be hosted by Professor Gordon Murray CBE and three-time Indianapolis 500 winner Dario Franchitti MBE.

While technical specifications have not been finalised, a teaser image suggests the upcoming model is a road-focused counterpart to the S1 LM that was launched in 2025 and was a tribute to Murray's legendary McLaren F1 GTR racing car.

The S1 LM launched in 2025 and shattered records when the first example sold for a startling US$20 million at a charity auction.

The shadowy vehicle retains several design elements from the S1 LM, including the rear haunches, door-mounted air ducts, and a roof scoop. However, it lacks the prominent rear spoiler and aggressive aerodynamic features of its track-oriented predecessor, resulting in a more streamlined appearance.

Because the S1 LM was designed as a tribute to the McLaren F1 GTR racing car, this more reserved version is expected to serve as a contemporary homage to the original road-going McLaren F1. Murray has characterised the project only as "something very special" leading up to its debut.

The shadowy car teased by GMA is likely to be a road-going version of the S1 LM that pays homage to the original F1(Image created with AI assistance).

The upcoming reveal will serve as the centre of a larger display that includes Murray's recent Le Mans GTR "XP1" Experimental Prototype that has participated in the Goodwood Hill climb and the Le Mans Classic race. Additionally, several customer-owned T.50 supercars will be positioned around the central exhibit, marking a rare gathering of the V12-powered vehicles.

"It is always a pleasure to return to California, and I am looking forward to sharing our latest Special Vehicles creation with everyone attending The Quail and enthusiasts around the world," said Murray. "We have been working on something very special – I can't wait for the covers to come off."

The McLaren F1 ushered in an era of "hypercars" that went far beyond what supercars of the 1990s were capable of.

For the uninitiated, Gordon Murray is an absolute legend of automotive design and engineering, with a career that spans six decades. Between 1969 and 1990, he served as the Technical Director for the Brabham and McLaren Formula One teams, where his designs contributed to world championship wins in 1981, 1983, 1988, 1989, and 1990. After achieving 50 Grand Prix victories, he moved from Formula One to establish McLaren Cars Limited in 1990.

While at McLaren, Murray designed the F1 road car, an iconic vehicle that helped launch the next generation of 'hypercars' and whose racing variant won the 1995 Le Mans 24 Hours. He later oversaw the development of the Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren before founding Gordon Murray Design in 2007. Since 2019, his company has announced a series of performance vehicles, including the T.50, the T.50s Niki Lauda, and the T.33 series.

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