Gordon Murray continues to power forward with his plans for a sports car inspired by the iconic McLaren F1 and has divulged additional details about the model with Evo Magazine.
According to Murray, modern-day performance cars aren’t as exciting as their predecessors and he believes a radical overhaul of the industry is needed for pure, driver-focused vehicles to return to the market. His upcoming sports car will be one of them.
Quizzed by Evo about how much his sports car will weigh, Murray said it has to be under 1000 kg (2200 lbs) and appears particularly keen to ensure it is relatively compact to further its driver-focused characteristics.
“Once governments have finished with emissions legislation they will move on to a car’s footprint and regulate this, too. We’re running out of space and big cars make no sense. In Tokyo, unless you have off-street parking you can’t own a car longer than 3.4 metres. It doesn’t matter how much money you have, you can’t have one. Is that such a bad thing?” Murray asked.
“Restricting the size of cars doesn’t have to mean micro-cars, but we need a better approach to how we design and build cars. Compact cars are very efficient, save space and resources, raw material and weight. They also provide a great opportunity, especially for those of us who enjoy driving.”
Don’t expect yet another Ferrari and McLaren rival.
Asked about the powertrain set to be used by the vehicle, Murray said that it’s yet to be finalized but confirmed that it will be exciting.
“We’re close to signing an agreement for our first engine. It’s something we could adapt for future models, too. What can I tell you now? It will be exciting, I can guarantee that.
“It will surprise a few people too, but importantly, and this is key to the whole car, it will be very pure, very driver-orientated in terms of how it delivers its power and torque,” Murray said.
He also commented he will ensure the car is only offered with “involving” transmissions. There will be three options available, none of which are a traditional torque converter automatic or a heavy dual-clutch.
Underpinning the vehicle will be Murray’s iStream Superlight platform, which uses extruded aluminum comprehensively and is over 50 per cent lighter than a conventional architecture using steel and aluminum.
Aerodynamics will also be a clear focus. According to Murray, he won’t chase unimaginable downforce figures, but the car’s aerodynamics “will be the most advanced yet seen on a road car and deliver a genuine benefit to the driver more of the time.”
The, as yet unnamed, supercar is expected to be unveiled sometime in 2019.
