Ask most car enthusiasts what the greatest supercar of the 20th century is, and you’ll get a large contingent answering with “the McLaren F1.” From still holding the record as the fastest naturally aspirated production car in the world to the iconic three-seat cockpit, it’s widely considered the greatest of all time for good reason. However, what happens when you want the style of an F1 with thirty-some-odd years of progress under the skin? Enter the Gordon Murray Special Vehicles S1 LM.
Yes, while this might look like a unique variant of the McLaren F1, it’s actually a brand new car from the man who headed up the original project. Only five examples of the S1 LM are going to be made, each one taking the learnings from the latest Gordon Murray Automotive cars and applying them to a classic silhouette. Weirdly, they’re all going to the same person, but that client certainly knows how to spend money well.
Under the rear coachwork sits a 4.3-liter V12 making more than 690 horsepower, eclipsing the output of even the GTR-spec F1. Drive to the back is provided by a six-speed manual transaxle that blends the gearset from the GMA T.50 with the casing of the track-focused T.50s. Perfect for those 12,100-rpm redline shifts.
As for the suspension, it’s all-new, with different geometry from any existing GMA car, along with special tuning to play nicely with the S1 LM’s new overall package while remaining usable on the road. Of course, the S1 LM gets gold heat shielding like the F1, along with the three-seat layout from the T.50, but we need to talk about the coachwork.
There’s no mistaking the way that the S1 LM aesthetically channels the F1, but in a sort-of greatest hits way. There’s a bit of LM-spec influence, a bit of GTR-spec influence, paying tribute to an icon while bringing it up to date. Look closely and you’ll find that the front fascia has been massaged, smoothed, simplified. No more separate bumper-mounted marker lights, just slim, modern fixtures. The grillework is a more refined, sharper take on the intakes seen on the HDK-spec F1, and the whole cut of the valence is just crisper than on the original.
Around the side, the signature singular strake has been removed for this tribute, but that’s not the only big alteration. The roofline is actually different than you get on any GMA car, the panels aft of the front arches have been cut back for aerodynamic efficiency, and intakes sit where you’d expect quarter windows to be.
Out back, not only does the S1 LM sport four centrally mounted exhaust tips connected to an Inconel system, it also features completely modernized lighting sitting underneath grille slats, a huge fixed wing, a massive diffuser, and simplified rear bumper venting. It’s just a cleaner, more modern look while maintaining the spirit of the F1.
While it can be fairly argued that the look of the S1 LM is derivative, you’d have to be a sad and soulless human being to hate this because it goes about the concept the right way, Each example of the McLaren F1 is inherently hugely valuable, so the best way to effectively restomod an F1 is to effectively just make a new one. That’s what we have here, loads of classic styling cues draped over the current state-of-the-art.
Top graphic image: Gordon Murray Special Vehicles
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The closest I’ll get would be the Hot Wheels version.
This is the closest YOU, a working class gearhead, can get to a McLaren F1: the DDR Grullon! https://www.flickr.com/photos/28654587@N02/
I’m just gonna say it: the T.50 looks bad and it looks even worse now that this exists. Ever since it was revealed I’ve been hoping for a prettier body to accompany that engine.
Nah, it’s beautiful and this just ties them all together ????????
Yup, the headlights ruin it for me.
I’m over exclusivity. Cars, watches, shoes, you name it. Limited Edition. Pass. Only X made. Pass. X of XX immediately skip reading. Give me something I can actually own, definitely not something unobtainable but for the richest of the rich.
Hell, I’d rather have a K-Car than one of these, and I absolutely LOATHE K-cars with all of my being. But I could actually drive it, actually use it.
Is this cool? Yeah, but as soon as I saw the limited to X I stopped reading.
I agree, but in this case, it’s limited because the customer ordered them for themself and had a hand in the design. If they ordered five, I hope they’ll drive at least one of them.
This is kind of like saying “I’m not interested in learning about outer space, because I will never go there.” You are missing the point, friend.
If I’m driving to the store in a race car, and I shear off a crucial part and stop running, I don’t plummet through the atmosphere reaching terminal velocity.
Whereas in space . . .
I’ve read about space, etc. I’ve read about the ultimate cars for years and I’m just over it. Different strokes etc.
I prefer the standard T.50 myself.
A few years ago I refueled behind an F1 on Santa Monica Blvd.
I believe that put me much closer than this.
This kinda feels like what Singer does. Like this is an F1 reimagined by Gordon Murray. I don’t hate it and it’s pretty cool but the T.50 and T.33 definitely do it for me over this.
It was a customer that specced the design and brought in their own designer for help, plus they were very involved in the process, so it’s not Murray just retreading the past.
That makes me feel better, it didn’t seem like something Gordon Murray would do on his own
but why male models?
Beautiful car. Wish I had the funds to buy one. Or five. Whatever the minimum order is these days.
Pininfarina has built custom cars one at a time, or in runs.
J Onassis had X number built for same number of her closest friends.
First: Regamasters are just a classic wheel design.
Second: I’m still trying to think when the Super/hyper car started being not so super for me.
It definitely wasn’t when the first McLaren F1 came out, or the F50. Or like when a Mercedes Benz CLK GTR driven on the street. I don’t think the Veyron killed it either.
And its not like I feel that the Flappy-Paddle-Gearbox killed the love either.
I mean thinking about it, I would probably be more excited to see an LFA vs any modern Ferrari/Lamborghini/porsche outside of a “Dakar-style” one.
I would normally skip over the supercar segments in TG/TGT and pray the challenge involved normal(ish) cars.
I think these are an homage to the OZs on the F1 LM.
https://hips.hearstapps.com/roadandtrack/assets/16/34/1472141190-f1lm-front.jpg
I’ve wondered this about myself as well, because I just don’t care about these cars anymore. I definitely can’t name most of them. 16 year old me would hate that about 37 year old me.
I think I changed when, after working for pennies for a few years, I realized just how much $1,000,000 is. I can’t imagine having enough money to just drop that much on a car. The idea is obscene and revolting. People don’t get wealthy enough to buy these super cars without exploiting others. That ruins these cars for me, I guess.
These days, I’m much more excited by the road cars that race in the various GT series. IMSA, WEC, GTWC, I hope to own one of those deeply cool cars one day.
I feel this. I used to be able to identify every car on the road at night by its headlight pattern and I remember being in awe of the original F1. I kept my Autoweek magazine featuring the F1 for many years. I think this car is a great homage but I think the magic started disappearing when all cars started getting better at all things. The early 00’s ushered in a time when power and performance could be found in any segment. Plus the cars were getting more livable at the same time. Even the viper while still rambunctious, got less murdery. I’m not complaining about any of this but things change and what we see as magic changes too.
I don’t care about the monetary aspect of them. Supercars have always been expensive and out of the range of normal people. I’ve managed to keep the magic for the ones I actually like.
That said, the ones I like are few. I don’t know if they’re just more generic now, or uglier (though I know that’s part of it), or there are just more of them, or if it’s like music and you tend to stick with what you enjoyed when you were younger vs most new stuff, or something else…but I just don’t have any interest in them.
Recently, the Aston Martin Valour struck my fancy, perhaps because of its obvious ties to the 80s, and…that might be it. Other than that, only the most recent Ford GT excites me in any way. Everything else just fades into the background.
I went to an Italian concours for the first time in 15-20 years this summer and it was bigger than I had ever seen it, but the reason I stopped going didn’t change—infestation by new crap and greatly diminished number of old stuff that I actually find interesting because they didn’t all look the same (and predictable), had interiors that weren’t plastic (oh, I mean, CF) and had no screens, that sounded better, and had no wuss software to control far too much power than anyone could conceivably use without a race track and more skill than 99.99% of drivers. I spent far more time looking at a Khamsin than I did the entirety of the Ferrari/Lamborghini section I wove my way through (a Gallardo was the oldest Lamborghini and there were only a handful of pre-90s Ferraris). I think part of it, too, is the owners. People driving old classics or near-classics there are largely going to be car people. The new exotic section was almost entirely crypto- and nepo-looking douchebros or the kind of dorks thinking they can buy a personality and attract women, only to find they’re “all gold diggers” when they’re only catching what they’ve baited for.
Nah, I prefer the standard T.50. Trying to graft retro design features onto a modern package never really works out, especially when hardpoints can’t be changed and certain graphics can’t be replicated as a result. For example, notice how the F1’s side duct is just floating aimlessly inside the T.50’s door shape, which also zigzags awkwardly against the lower intake.
I do however think there should be a T.50 without the rear fan. It never seemed to be integrated well and I’m not clear as to why it needed to be on a road car.
So the T.33 then?
Not quite, as that’s missing the central driver’s seat.
Fair point.
make 5 sure, but why the heck are all 5 going to the same dude who’s not going to drive any of them?
Because he can? It’s his way to support the brand but flex that he can convince Gordon Murray & Co to make an essentially bespoke vehicle just for him.
Well duh, I’m aware of how the uber wealthy car guys operate. I’m more opining that all 5 of them are going to one collection instead of maybe 10 being made and being sent to at least one collector that drives his or her vehicles.
McLaren F1n? New F1? T.90? 😛
Who bought them?
Wait, does this thing have pop-up headlights? The cut lines and the clearance for the DRLs seem to suggest that.
Does that make this the only car currently sold with pop-ups?
There’s a Harry’s Garage video about this car – the headlight design isn’t finalized yet so they just went with this look for the time being.
Gee cool car. Also, why does anyone have that much money? Dumb.
“Weirdly, they’re all going to the same person…”
Russian oligarch or oil baron?
Follow the money.
Just finished watching Harry Metcalfe’s video on it with Dario Franchitti. The goat of all supercars just got a heckuva lot better!
“Only five examples of the S1 LM are going to be made”
Suck it. Gordo.
So… copyright?
Surely it is McLaren and not Murray who owns the IP?
This thing is perfect. It looks like a restomod without having to ruin an original F1.
I never liked the look of the T.50 and now this re-skin completely fixes that. What a beauty.