Gordon Murray Automotive is bringing a strong lineup to next month’s Goodwood Festival of Speed, including the first customer-spec T.50s Niki Lauda track car and a display model of the $20.63 million S1 LM. The event runs from July 11 to 14, and the British company plans to use the hill climb to show what these cars can actually do.
First customer T.50s honors a historic win
The T.50s Niki Lauda pays tribute to Gordon Murray’s first Formula 1 victory as a designer, which came at South Africa’s Kyalami circuit in 1974. The car is finished in matte silver with the colors of the South African flag running across the hood and the aerodynamic shark fin at the rear. It’s the first example built for a customer, though the owner’s identity hasn’t been disclosed. Unlike a static showpiece, this car will be driven up the course. Attendees might get to hear its naturally aspirated V12 at full throttle — something they likely intend.
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S1 LM display model and its eye-popping price tag
Gordon Murray Automotive is also bringing a design model of the S1 LM, a limited-run hypercar capped at just five units globally. Last year, one example sold at auction for $20.63 million. The model heading to Goodwood is only a display piece, so it won’t run the course. Fans hoping to see a true McLaren F1 GTR successor in motion will be disappointed.
Some industry observers have questioned the strategy of building such expensive, ultra-exclusive cars. With so few examples ever built, the brand is effectively marketing to a handful of billionaires. It is unclear whether that model remains viable as the auto industry shifts toward electrification.
T.33 Spider prototype and the Le Mans GTR
The other two cars GMA is bringing include a validation prototype of the T.33 Spider, a smaller model with a twelve-cylinder engine that offers a slightly lower entry price than the T.50. It says it’s “inching closer” to completing work on this convertible.
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Also present will be the Le Mans GTR in XP1 prototype form. The car was shown alongside the hypercar last year and comes from Gordon Murray Special Vehicles. Production is capped at just 24 units. The design draws inspiration from the longtail Le Mans racers Murray created in the 1990s. Like all other GMA models, it uses a Cosworth-built 3.9-liter naturally aspirated V12.
What the lineup says about the brand
The brand has positioned itself as a builder of analog, combustion-engined hypercars at a time when most rivals are going electric. Its reliance on the engine and manual gearboxes appeals to enthusiasts who prize mechanical purity. But the tiny production volumes and enormous prices mean these cars will never be seen outside of events like the yearly gathering or private tracks.
The T.50s Niki Lauda is track-only.
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The S1 LM is a collector’s piece, and the Le Mans GTR is similarly limited. That leaves the T.33 Spider as the closest thing to a road car in the lineup. It remains unclear whether any of them will ever be driven regularly.
For now, the course at the festival will be the stage where at least one of these machines can stretch its legs — and its engine — in front of a crowd.