More an homage than a successor, Gordon Murray’s S1 LM offers us a real-world incarnation of what a 2025 McLaren F1 could be.
What is arguably the most influential supercar of all time, the 1992 McLaren F1, has been reimagined for a new era, not by McLaren, but by its original designer, Gordon Murray.
Unveiled at the 2025 Monterey Car Week event, the GMSV S1 LM is a limited-production homage (for just one customer) of the 1995 Le Mans-winning McLaren F1 GTR.
The car was presented at the launch of the new ‘bespoke engineering’ offshoot of Gordon Murray Automotive (GMA), Gordon Murray Special Vehicles (GMSV).
The firm was established to extend the production-car expertise of GMA into creating limited (or even one-off) specials for well-heeled customers, customised versions of GMA road cars, or even ‘continuations’ of famous or heritage vehicles.
The GMSV S1 LM takes significant design and technical inspiration from the high-downforce McLaren F1 GTR, including the three-seat cockpit and V12 engine, but has redefined the car for a modern world and a new badge.
As the first vehicle produced by the new brand, the name S1 simply means Special-One.
While the McLaren F1 comparisons are clear, the GMSV press release doesn't mention the English brand, nor the F1 at all, but instead quotes Murray's connection with "timeless design", which obviously remains largely unchanged from the 1990s.
“I love timeless design. I never want us to join the race to make the most outrageous looking supercar at expense of balance, beauty and proportion. Look at the result, the car is timeless and beautiful.”
All panels are unique and constructed from carbon fibre, and the cabin, with its three-seat layout and central driving position, is shown to use headset communication between occupants, like a helicopter.
Renders illustrated a race-inspired trim as well as a stylish green tartan alternative, complete with a wooden shift knob.
The front end design drops the McLaren’s quad circular headlamps in favour of a sleek and modern LED strip, but the rear end maintains the four round tail lamps, which on the original F1 were infamously sourced from the same parts bin as the Bova Futura bus.
Powered by a Cosworth-modified version of the GMA 4.0-litre twelve-cylinder engine, the S1-specific 4.3L V12 has a screaming 12,000rpm redline and over 700PS (515kW) output.
Drive is sent through a manual gearbox (sourced from the GMA T.50 supercar) to the rear wheels alone.
The original McLaren F1 road car used a 461kW BMW-sourced V12, where the 1995 F1 GTR was capable of more power but actually ran at a lower 441kW output due to air-flow restrictors required by competition regulations.
Just five GMSV S1 LM vehicles will be built, all for the same customer, with deliveries scheduled to start in 2026.
With over 20 years of experience in digital publishing, James Ward has worked within the automotive landscape since 2007 and brings experience from the publishing, manufacturer and lifestyle side of the industry together to spearhead Drive's multi-media content direction.
