RE: Gordon Murray: 'Last flag-waver of a great V12'

RE: Gordon Murray: 'Last flag-waver of a great V12'

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Discussion

big_rob_sydney

3,402 posts

194 months

Saturday 27th February 2021
quotequote all
Agree that current BEVs are too heavy. However, that will change. When we get solid state batteries, and then move on to capacitors, we may well see some pretty remarkable things...

Teddy Lop

8,294 posts

67 months

Saturday 27th February 2021
quotequote all
SidewaysSi said:
Exactly, which was my point that Robsco didn't get.

There seems to be a lot of bitter/jealous people on here - yes, most people can't afford it and won't so much as ever touch one but does that matter? Life ain't fair but same as it ever was.

Plenty of great cars at all price points which is the joy of cars.
I dunno if its bitterness or jealousy and stupidity or what it is. A lot of people just need to air their stinking opinion on everything even when it's completely irrelevant, adds nothing and they don't even like the subject. Sort of internet verbal diarrhea meets loving ones own voice. See the top gear/grand tour/ any F1 race thread etc etc.

Gordon: I've spent years breeding cows and have created what I consider to be the worlds finest steak.

Web dweeb 1: I can buy a whole bag of mince in asda for 75p that's more impressive
Web dweeb 2: tesla make a burger with 468 ingredients and 12" high and completely impractical but that's more impressive.
Web dweeb 3: all you did was grow a cow.
Web dweeb 4: I'm a vegan your killing the planet
Web dweeb 5: brexit wamker Italians make tr00 cars
Web dweeb 3: Adolf Hitler!

_Neal_

2,663 posts

219 months

Saturday 27th February 2021
quotequote all
Teddy Lop said:
SidewaysSi said:
Exactly, which was my point that Robsco didn't get.

There seems to be a lot of bitter/jealous people on here - yes, most people can't afford it and won't so much as ever touch one but does that matter? Life ain't fair but same as it ever was.

Plenty of great cars at all price points which is the joy of cars.
I dunno if its bitterness or jealousy and stupidity or what it is. A lot of people just need to air their stinking opinion on everything even when it's completely irrelevant, adds nothing and they don't even like the subject. Sort of internet verbal diarrhea meets loving ones own voice. See the top gear/grand tour/ any F1 race thread etc etc.

Gordon: I've spent years breeding cows and have created what I consider to be the worlds finest steak.

Web dweeb 1: I can buy a whole bag of mince in asda for 75p that's more impressive
Web dweeb 2: tesla make a burger with 468 ingredients and 12" high and completely impractical but that's more impressive.
Web dweeb 3: all you did was grow a cow.
Web dweeb 4: I'm a vegan your killing the planet
Web dweeb 5: brexit wamker Italians make tr00 cars
Web dweeb 3: Adolf Hitler!
Short of having a fanclub/echo chamber I'm not sure what else you expect or want from internet forums. Simply because it's Gordon Murray doesn't mean it's above discussion, or perfect, or everyone has to like every bit of it.

FWIW I think the car is going to be incredible but I don't like his self-promoting ways.

sisu

2,580 posts

173 months

Saturday 27th February 2021
quotequote all
Moskvich said:
sisu said:
Yeah I think Gian pallo Dallara might question the point that only Gordon and Mauro Forghieri know how to build a lightweight sports car from the ground up?

Good on him for realising there is a market for a McLaren F1 mk2 and I am glad they are building the v12T50.
No one questions his talent with building a no holds barred sports car with a bottomless budget. However he does struggle with the stuff that he uses himself, the A110, Smart coupe, Elan and Mk1 escort. The basic simple car, this will be what makes him obtainable, otherwise it is a bit like Horatio Pagani who makes artwork.
To make something like a A110 you need a factory, lots of suppliers and huge budget for investing. It´s not reasonable to think that just because someone makes the "best-of-the-best" sports car in a limited run, he could instead have created a sportscar for the people. Its impossible without a huge OEM behind you.

In the case of T50 its either it or nothing. What makes me hyped about it just like most is that he has based its creation on totally different ideals than any other brand. And that is performance takes the back seat. For this, I call it a sportscar, not a hypercar. Correct me if I am wrong but the Dallara is more of a trackday car than a roadcar, with a low rpm Ford Ecoboost engine. It cannot even be mentioned in the same sentance as the T50.


Edited by Moskvich on Saturday 27th February 11:42


Edited by Moskvich on Saturday 27th February 11:48
No I was pointing out that he thinks he is above and beyond others. But there are examples of other companies or engineers doing just what only and an ex F1 boss could do.
You said the reason the A110 only came about because a big OEM and factory. Well his city car was out in 2019, Yamaha aimed it at the European market and I have yet to see one.


I have no question with the T50, but only Elon Muskateers are more blinkered to others being able to do it or do it better

Penguinracer

1,593 posts

206 months

Saturday 27th February 2021
quotequote all
Dinosaur - a lightweight, high performance HFC vehicle would at least have been forward looking.

LaurasOtherHalf

21,429 posts

196 months

Saturday 27th February 2021
quotequote all
I understand those who don't personally like the bloke, I understand those being disappointed that what he's building will be out of reach for all but the super rich but c'mon, how can you be upset with an ultra-lightweight, V12, mid-engined manual car?!

Slippydiff

14,828 posts

223 months

Saturday 27th February 2021
quotequote all
Teddy Lop said:
SidewaysSi said:
Exactly, which was my point that Robsco didn't get.

There seems to be a lot of bitter/jealous people on here - yes, most people can't afford it and won't so much as ever touch one but does that matter? Life ain't fair but same as it ever was.

Plenty of great cars at all price points which is the joy of cars.
I dunno if its bitterness or jealousy and stupidity or what it is. A lot of people just need to air their stinking opinion on everything even when it's completely irrelevant, adds nothing and they don't even like the subject. Sort of internet verbal diarrhea meets loving ones own voice. See the top gear/grand tour/ any F1 race thread etc etc.

Gordon: I've spent years breeding cows and have created what I consider to be the worlds finest steak.

Web dweeb 1: I can buy a whole bag of mince in asda for 75p that's more impressive
Web dweeb 2: tesla make a burger with 468 ingredients and 12" high and completely impractical but that's more impressive.
Web dweeb 3: all you did was grow a cow.
Web dweeb 4: I'm a vegan your killing the planet
Web dweeb 5: brexit wamker Italians make tr00 cars
Web dweeb 3: Adolf Hitler!
This ^

I recall someone on PH once quoted Fulton J. Sheen :

"Jealousy is the tribute mediocrity pays to genius"

So true. Regrettably PH is rapidly becoming the Twitter of the automotive forum world. It's a real shame, because it used to be a wonderfully entertaining place full of genuine enthusiasts and decent folk.

I've no doubt Murray is divisive character, but plenty of great individuals are adept at self promotion, and whilst it may not be the "British way", it's frequently a trait born of being exceptionally good at what you do and having confidence in your own abilities, and something us Brits should practice more often.

Murray's CV is up there with the very best, both in F1 and in designing, engineering and producing a road car that few manufacturers at the time could even contemplate usurping.

The T50 has moved the supercar game on using the latest technology, a lot of it British, something everyone here who's British on here, should be proud of.

Love or loath Murray, he's chosen to live and set up a business in the UK, we should be hugely proud of him and his achievements. I'd suggest listening to his Beyond the Grid podcast before belittling what he's done as designer and engineer.



Reciprocating mass

6,030 posts

241 months

Saturday 27th February 2021
quotequote all
If I was very flush I’d probably want a Gordon Murray designed manual lightweight v12
Wishing him great success with it !

redroadster

1,738 posts

232 months

Saturday 27th February 2021
quotequote all
What's really funny is an ultima weighs around same with 1100bhp engine for 100 grand, so with a simple formula it's up there with exotica, are they worth 20 times more woukd like to see a road test with it included.

emss

82 posts

148 months

Saturday 27th February 2021
quotequote all
Hi,

smilo996 said:
would like to see him do something like this:
the 200hp three-cylinder 845kg model would have made money at about thirty grand. Out Lotus, Lotus.
the article mentions iStream.
I'd, as well, like to see project T43 hit production...

Éric

unpc

2,835 posts

213 months

Saturday 27th February 2021
quotequote all
Slippydiff said:
This ^

I recall someone on PH once quoted Fulton J. Sheen :

"Jealousy is the tribute mediocrity pays to genius"

So true. Regrettably PH is rapidly becoming the Twitter of the automotive forum world. It's a real shame, because it used to be a wonderfully entertaining place full of genuine enthusiasts and decent folk.

I've no doubt Murray is divisive character, but plenty of great individuals are adept at self promotion, and whilst it may not be the "British way", it's frequently a trait born of being exceptionally good at what you do and having confidence in your own abilities, and something us Brits should practice more often.

Murray's CV is up there with the very best, both in F1 and in designing, engineering and producing a road car that few manufacturers at the time could even contemplate usurping.

The T50 has moved the supercar game on using the latest technology, a lot of it British, something everyone here who's British on here, should be proud of.

Love or loath Murray, he's chosen to live and set up a business in the UK, we should be hugely proud of him and his achievements. I'd suggest listening to his Beyond the Grid podcast before belittling what he's done as designer and engineer.

Well said fella. I suspect most detractors on here have done sweet FA with their lives by comparison.

BurtonLazars

579 posts

44 months

Saturday 27th February 2021
quotequote all
redroadster said:
What's really funny is an ultima weighs around same with 1100bhp engine for 100 grand, so with a simple formula it's up there with exotica, are they worth 20 times more woukd like to see a road test with it included.
How many Lithuanian models and carry-on luggage can you fit in an Ultima? How would the journey be from London to Le Mans?

_Neal_

2,663 posts

219 months

Saturday 27th February 2021
quotequote all
I really don't think it follows that any detractors are simply jealous and their arguments can be written off as a result. Nor does it follow that because this thread isn't a worshipful echo chamber Pistonheads has gone downhill. There's room for multiple viewpoints here. As mentioned above, perfectly reasonably, Murray's ventures into road cars since the F1 have not met with much success at all.

You can love and be proud of the accomplishments and engineering brilliance, but dislike how the man comes across, for example. I think that's where I am.

leef44

4,388 posts

153 months

Saturday 27th February 2021
quotequote all
Teddy Lop said:
Isebac said:
Very interesting that he plans on using the same V12 and the same gearbox in the next model. What is the next model gonna be? Another mid engined supercar, but now 200kg heavier, with a slightly detuned engine and for "only" 1M? I don't really know how I feel about that. For one, I liked the idea that the engine and the gearbox were exclusive to the T.50. Using them in other, lesser models makes them, and the T.50, a bit less special. For two, while it was very apparent that with the production run limited to the same 100 cars the next model would also be extremely expensive and nothing like the T.43 they wanted to make earlier, I was at least hoping it's gonna be a different flavor to the T.50 altogether.

While getting another T.50, just a bit heavier, less powerful and a bit cheaper, powered by the same amazing V12, is still very appealing, in the end it's the same car, but worse. A lot of what makes the T.50 exciting is that it's the ultimate expression of what Murray thinks is the best driver's car. If they were to make another, quite different car, you could be excited for that because it's something new, an expression of something new. Like the best possible GT car or something. If they make another mid engined supercar, then it's not the ultimate expression of anything, it's just a T.50 on a budget - but still a car that only multi-millionaires can buy, that you will never drive, never sit in, never see even. Which is fine if it's a wild thing like the T.50, but less fine if it's budget/price forced model.

Well, no point getting too negative before we know more. Maybe the next model is front engined with a big boot at the back, who knows! And you can't really be too down about getting yet another NA V12, manual gearbox car, lightweight car, no matter what it is, can you?
TBF that engine sounds (on paper) so utterly devine it'd be a crying shame for it not to be exploited and enjoyed more. Especially as said a good number of these will end up in humidity controlled garages as investements... Although I wonder (and hope) more of these go to people who will use them as intended than investors where there the high sticker price might seem more risky than a few Italian etc lumps?
To make project2 cheaper, he would most likely use less exotic material based on the lower spec. It would probably not scream to such high revs as the original. This would keep the original V12 in a special unique place so I doubt those very rich lucky owners would feel hard done by with project2.

leef44

4,388 posts

153 months

Saturday 27th February 2021
quotequote all
emss said:
Hi,

smilo996 said:
would like to see him do something like this:
the 200hp three-cylinder 845kg model would have made money at about thirty grand. Out Lotus, Lotus.
the article mentions iStream.
I'd, as well, like to see project T43 hit production...

Éric
This concept is still for sale and in the interview he said they are not considering mass car production business.

I think he hates the bureaucracy and politics of mass car production. He can't have it his way because funding is on a different scale so it would have to involve investors (public shares or venture capital) who would change the direction of the project.

He wanted to make the SLR a light supercar but Mercedes McLaren wanted to make it a heavy luxury vehicle. He hated having his name associated with a heavy luxury supercar.

All these experiences tells him that he does not want to go into mass car production hence his current chosen path of bespoke exoticas.

The Vambo

6,643 posts

141 months

Saturday 27th February 2021
quotequote all
Penguinracer said:
Dinosaur - a lightweight, high performance HFC vehicle would at least have been forward looking.
Chemical energy, what are we neanderthals? An anti-gravity craft with dark matter propulsion would allow me to demonstrate that I once read Popular Science and consider myself a misunderstood tech visionary.

romac

595 posts

146 months

Saturday 27th February 2021
quotequote all
The Vambo said:
Penguinracer said:
Dinosaur - a lightweight, high performance HFC vehicle would at least have been forward looking.
Chemical energy, what are we neanderthals? An anti-gravity craft with dark matter propulsion would allow me to demonstrate that I once read Popular Science and consider myself a misunderstood tech visionary.
Oh fiddlesticks! Does that mean my nuclear fusion powered vehicle is out-of-date before I've quite got it working reliably?

T50, T50S - it's great that such things are being designed and built, even though they are out-of-reach for most of us.

Sway

26,273 posts

194 months

Saturday 27th February 2021
quotequote all
hornbaek said:
BurtonLazars said:
hornbaek said:
Sad that all his talent is spent on something that is past its sell by date the day it roles out of the factory door. The F1 was ahead of its time and still today is pushing the envelope of what is possible with a naturally aspirated engine combining all the aero, lightness and drive ability into one design that is defying the passage of time.
Can you confirm you’re saying (?) that “the T50 is past its sell by date”, but the F1 is “still today pushing the envelope of what’s possible”? And that you think the F1 has better “aero, lightness and drive ability” than the T50.

hornbaek said:
Sadly with this new one he is at the dinosaur end of the V12 engine. Imagine if he had built something with the vision of the F1 that he had at the time.
Are you suggesting the T50 should have been an EV?
You are misunderstanding me. You need to add “at the time” into the equation. The F1 was leading in every department at the time of its launch. The T50 is not - and only has another 5-10 years to leave its mark before legislation takes it out of play. I see that as a missed opportunity to create something great which will live on into the future - such as the F1. That is also the reason why the F1 costs 3-4x more than the T50.
I can feel fairly confident the T.50 leads the hypercar market for me in the same way the F1 does - which is to say in all the areas which won't be put in a Top Trumps style 'stat off' as they're virtually impossible to measure numerically...

The F1 has had the benefit of 30 years of asset booms and partial market resets. It's also got the immense kudos of being the only road car since the 60s to win Le Mans outright... That's a huge part of how special it is and hence the value.

Sway

26,273 posts

194 months

Saturday 27th February 2021
quotequote all
leef44 said:
emss said:
Hi,

smilo996 said:
would like to see him do something like this:
the 200hp three-cylinder 845kg model would have made money at about thirty grand. Out Lotus, Lotus.
the article mentions iStream.
I'd, as well, like to see project T43 hit production...

Éric
This concept is still for sale and in the interview he said they are not considering mass car production business.

I think he hates the bureaucracy and politics of mass car production. He can't have it his way because funding is on a different scale so it would have to involve investors (public shares or venture capital) who would change the direction of the project.

He wanted to make the SLR a light supercar but Mercedes McLaren wanted to make it a heavy luxury vehicle. He hated having his name associated with a heavy luxury supercar.

All these experiences tells him that he does not want to go into mass car production hence his current chosen path of bespoke exoticas.
I get (and agree with) all that.

Problem is, he's asking someone else to quite publically back his horse with their money...

Considering the volumes he suggests are pretty low (5k is hardly 'volume') - I can't help but think he should really put his money where his mouth is and actually prove the concept.

I say this as a former production/process engineer - I'm hugely interested in the detail behind iStream, especially the low capital and tooling requirements... Which reinforces to me that he could indeed do it.

Problem is, he just cannot compromise. Most who learnt their trade in competition can't.

For that reason, along with his age - I'd be amazed if "project 2" really was that much dialled back, or usefully cheaper. He'd also really best be getting a move on figuring out his successor pronto!

IMI A

9,410 posts

201 months

Sunday 28th February 2021
quotequote all
I'm going to try and blag a test drive in one of these to see if a car can be worth these preposterous amounts of money. I still don't like the styling around mid rif. Its been made to look like that for extra luggage really don't like. F1 so much more handsome. Version 2 looks effeminate.