Gordon Murray Special Vehicles launched
Fancy a bespoke car designed by the bloke who did the McLaren F1? That's the dream GMSV is selling...
To hear Gordon Murray tell it, It was only a matter of time before his firm got around to announcing a new division focused exclusively on ‘producing unique and exclusive cars in ultra-low volume’. Apparently the Gordon Murray Group has been fielding calls for niche designs for yonks - the volume of which has only increased since T.50 deliveries kicked off.
Hang on, you’re saying - isn’t the T.50 already an exclusive car produced in ultra-low volume? Yes, it is. Gordon Murray Special Vehicles is all about going through the looking glass and devoting time and engineering resource to what will effectively be one-offs. In case you hadn’t heard, this is precisely the sort of money-no-object thing that Ferrari has been doing forever and usually means the customer being involved at effectively every stage of development.
“Following a number of years of global growth for the Group, we now have the bandwidth to establish the new GMSV division,” said Phillip Lee, CEO of the Gordon Murray Group. “With a fully independent team in place to deliver ultra-low volume specials, this year will see the first bespoke commission, based on the new GMSV platform, as well as a Special Vehicles programme collaboration.”
The firm says that GMSV products will be broken down into three categories: ‘Bespoke’, dealing with one-off or low volume specials; ‘Heritage’, focusing on revivals of Gordon Murray’s back catalogue; and ‘Special Vehicles’, which will handle limited edition cars that sit outside the current GMA lineup. Given the scale of the current workforce, we’d imagine some of this categorising is mostly about window dressing - but at any rate, it signifies a broad remit for what is surely likely to be an immediately oversubscribed service.
As you’d expect, it is the idea of Heritage cars that piques the PH imagination. Bespoke models are effectively no-brainers - but the suggestion that Gordon Murray is prepared to indulge in the concept of ‘either pure continuation models or a reimagined, contemporary specification’ is particularly interesting - not least because one of the preeminent car designers of his generation has previously been inclined to devote his talents to creating flyweight, open cockpit roadsters. We can’t be the only people intrigued by the idea of a modern-day Rocket.
“Over the years, we have received many requests to design and build one-offs and specials of all kinds,” noted Murray. “Now, as we have grown the business and team, we have established separate design and engineering departments for GMSV - it’s the perfect time to extend our offering to special vehicles.” Only time will tell just how far back - and to what extent - the new division is prepared to go. Any requests?
Don't get me wrong, I think he's a fascinating chap and brilliant engineer, it's just that I find concepts like the OX more interesting and relevant.
The whole range is bizarrely lacking in that 'X-factor' that singles out true exotica. The cars just seem like beautifully engineered devices, soulless and competent rather than unique and poster-on-wall-desirable...
I'm sure the ever increasing Billionaire class will lap them up however, so good luck to him.
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