McLaren F1’s Spiritual Successor By Gordon Murray Coming Next Year With A V12

Gordon Murray, the designer and visionary behind the iconic McLaren F1, says he is developing a spiritual successor to the iconic supercar.

Speaking to Road & Track at the Geneva Motor Show, Murray expressed his frustration that no automaker has built a vehicle quite like the McLaren F1 in the decades since it went out of production. And that includes McLaren with its three-seater Speedtail.

“I truly believe nobody’s done another McLaren F1 since the F1 and that’s because it was such a single-person focused design, lightweight, [focused] on driver feedback and feel, the V12 sound, the feedback in the steering… and the attention to the detail of the engineering.

“It’s not a criticism that nobody’s done that, but if you’re making 700 LaFerraris, you can’t do that. You have to use production bits. So, I thought it was about time somebody did another McLaren F1,” Murray said.

A McLaren F1 successor without a McLaren badge

In the years since he worked on the McLaren F1, Murray has gone on to develop the innovative iStream Superlight chassis which uses extruded aluminum. Murray’s F1 successor won’t use this platform and instead have a bespoke carbon fiber monocoque. A three-seat layout like the F1 is also expected.

To remain true to the original McLaren F1 ethos, the new supercar will utilize a naturally-aspirated V12 engine and a manual transmission. Unfortunately, Murray hasn’t divulged any details about them. What he did confirm, though, is that the new supercar will be light. Very light.

“Nowadays, when somebody announces a new supercar and it’s 3,300 pounds (1,500 kg), they get applauded, which I find unbelievable. This car is under 2,200 pounds (1,000 kg).”

Murray intends on launching his F1 successor next year, possibly under the IGM brand.