Some cars become legends through lap records or auction prices. The McLaren F1 became one by redefining what a road car could be.
More than three decades after its 1992 debut, its combination of low weight, a central driving position, three seats, a naturally aspirated V12 and obsessive engineering purity remains unequaled. Plenty of manufacturers have since built faster cars. Very few have created anything quite as meaningful.
Now, the man behind the F1 has returned to that formula once again. Revealed at The Quail during Monterey Car Week, the Gordon Murray Special Vehicles S1 is the closest we will ever come to seeing the McLaren F1 reborn.
The S1 is developed from the ferocious S1 LM into a more elegant, comfortable and usable road car. It retains the 12,100rpm Cosworth V12, six-speed manual gearbox and central driving position, while trading the LM’s aggressive aerodynamic hardware for cleaner bodywork and a touring-focused chassis.
Production is limited to 64 individually commissioned cars. As expected, every one is already spoken for.
From The S1 LM To A V12 Grand Tourer
Gordon Murray Special Vehicles introduced the S1 LM in 2025 as a modern tribute to the McLaren F1 LM. Limited to five examples, it celebrated the F1 GTR’s outright victory at the 1995 24 Hours of Le Mans with a road-legal yet competition-inspired configuration.
The new S1 follows a different path. While the S1 LM was designed for short drives to a circuit followed by furious laps, the S1 is intended for grand tours and long road trips set to the backdrop of a howling Cosworth V12.
According to Murray, customers began asking what the S1 LM might look like without its fixed rear wing, long front splitter and deep side skirts. The original plan was simply to remove those elements. The engineering team then got, in Murray’s words, “a bit carried away”.
Every exterior body panel apart from the roof has consequently been redesigned. The underlying proportions remain unmistakably Murray: a compact cabin, low scuttle, short overhangs and a shape that’s guided by aerodynamics.
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A Design Rich With McLaren F1 References
The similarities to the McLaren F1 are entirely deliberate. Circular auxiliary main-beam lights sit low inside the front air intakes, referencing the McLaren F1 displayed in Monaco in 1992. The new lightweight wheels take inspiration from the same show car, while A-pillar-mounted mirrors incorporate discreet rear-view cameras.
Bespoke headlights feature integrated daytime-running lamps, differentiating the S1 from the blade-style lighting of the S1 LM. At the rear, one can’t miss the four circular tail lamps, and an active aerodynamic system replaces the enormous fixed wing.
This system adapts to improve high-speed stability and braking performance, but the S1’s broader philosophy favours mechanical grip, predictable balance and driver confidence over generating monumental downforce. It is a refreshing approach in an era when most road-going supercars appear ready to qualify at Le Mans, but deliver a bone-jarring ride on the road.
The V12 remains visible beneath the rear deck, surrounded by a polished Inconel exhaust and a 24-carat gold-plated heat shield. The gold is another celebrated McLaren F1 reference, although here it serves the practical purpose of reflecting radiant heat.
If you had the money, what would you pick?
McLaren F1
GMA S1
A Cosworth V12 That Revs Beyond 12,000rpm
Mounted behind the cabin is a bespoke 4.2-litre naturally aspirated Cosworth V12 producing 681hp at 12,100rpm. Redline arrives at a remarkable 12,400rpm.
Peak torque stands at around 500Nm at 7,000rpm, but the more telling figure is found considerably lower down the rev range. Approximately 80 percent of the engine’s torque is available from 2,500rpm, giving the S1 the flexibility required for long-distance road driving.
Its internal hardware reads like the inventory of a racing department. The V12 uses silicon carbide-coated lightweight pistons, titanium valves, titanium connecting rods and dry-sump lubrication. Low rotational inertia gives it the immediate throttle response that Murray’s cars are known for.
A six-speed manual gearbox sends power to the rear wheels. It receives straighter cable routing for a more precise shift action, while a taller sixth gear allows the V12 to settle down during motorway journeys.
There are no paddles and no dual-clutch transmission chasing millisecond shift times. Every gearchange remains a physical decision made by the driver. For the people buying an S1, that interaction is the whole point of life.
Road-Focused Chassis And Sub-T.50 Weight
The S1 retains the S1 LM’s width, track, wider tyres and lightweight suspension architecture. Ride height increases by 10mm, while the dampers are retuned to provide greater compliance over imperfect roads.
Switchable power-steering assistance lets the driver choose between additional assistance during relaxed cruising and a more direct, unfiltered setting on faster roads. Despite gaining additional sound insulation, thicker seat padding, a more substantial audio system and more luxurious interior materials, the S1 is expected to weigh less than the GMA T.50.
An exact figure has not yet been announced, but the T.50 weighs 997kg, placing the S1’s target below that insane mark. That would give the S1 a power-to-weight ratio of more than 680hp per tonne!
GMA S1 Interior: Three Seats And A Very Special Driving Position
The S1’s three-seat cabin places the driver centrally, flanked by two slightly rearward passenger seats. It is the configuration most strongly associated with the McLaren F1 and remains one of Murray’s defining engineering signatures. Only five supercars in history have had this configuration, and Murray made two of them. The S1 is now the sixth ever!
A low scuttle provides an expansive view of the road, while premium leather, bespoke fabrics, tailored trim and revised infotainment screens give the cabin a more luxurious character than the S1 LM.
New dihedral doors open wider to improve access, and proper drop-down windows replace the LM’s fixed Lexan glazing and small ticket aperture. Enhanced acoustic insulation, revised engine mounts and a bespoke lightweight audio system make the S1 considerably easier to live with over long distances.
This remains a 12,100rpm V12 supercar, though, so silence was presumably never too high on the development checklist.
How Many Will Be Built?
Gordon Murray Special Vehicles originally intended to produce commissions in batches of perhaps five, 10 or 20 cars. Demand for a road-focused version of the S1 LM eventually pushed S1 production to 64 units.
That number carries its own significance. Only 64 road-going examples of the original McLaren F1 were produced, making the S1’s production run another carefully considered link to Murray’s original masterpiece.
Pricing has not been disclosed, although the first S1 LM sold at auction for $20.63 million. The S1 will cost considerably less than that particular result, but a multi-million-dollar price is guaranteed. All 64 of them have already been allocated.
The original F1 belonged to a brief moment when ambition, engineering freedom and a stubbornly driver-first philosophy aligned perfectly. Murray says an homage this direct will never happen again.
For petrolheads who regard the McLaren F1 as the high-water mark of the analogue supercar, the S1 feels less like another limited-edition exotic and more like one final chapter written by the man who began the story.
