GMA T.33 Spider, S1 LM lined up for Goodwood
Gordon Murray Automotive will make lots of noise on the hill - including first production T.50s Niki Lauda
Never let it be said that the Goodwood Festival of Speed isn’t a big deal for Gordon Murray Automotive. You might say that the Duke of Richmond’s garden party is significant for all the purveyors of low-volume exotica, because it’s where the world’s wealthiest car nuts all descend every July, but there can’t be many others with four big announcements for Goodwood. So it’ll be a busy few days for all involved.
The global dynamic debut of the first production T.50s Niki Lauda is probably the headliner. It’s a car that’s promised so much of the years of development, a track-only derivative of the T.50 that will ratchet up the intensity, exhilaration and thrill even further. With just 25 to be built in total, a run up the hill will be an incredibly rare chance to see - and hear - a Niki Lauda driven as intended. Chassis 1, as with all the others, commemorates one of Gordon Murray’s first 24 Grand Prix wins (number 25 will pay homage to ‘special endurance race victory’); for this one it’s the 1974 South African race at Kyalami, hence the flag livery. Carlos Reutemann was driving a Brabham BT44 that day, with the race number 7 evoking the victorious Murray machine. Carve out some time in your FOS schedule to see that, for sure.
Also running up the 1.16 miles will be the T.33 Spider validation prototype, the first time it’s been seen in public. Another eagerly anticipated GMA supercar that dates back a number of years, the green Spider is sure to draw a crowd even on a weekend saturated with supercars. An ‘even more engaging and immersive driving experience’ than the T.33 hardtop is promised. Bringing up the rear of the GMA hillclimb runs (or perhaps leading them out) will be the Le Mans GTR XP1.
Yes, we’d forgotten about that one, too. First shown at Monterey last year (where the S1 LM stole its thunder somewhat), the Le Mans GTR is like a best of the best of classic sportscar racers, both of Murrary’s design and others. XP1 previews the 24 units that are coming, a car that apparently ‘blends roadgoing capability and track-focused precision’. We’d imagine seeing one scream towards Molecomb will ensure you don’t forget it again.
Speaking of the S1 LM, Festival of Speed will see the European debut of the design model first seen in California last year. So that means it won’t be running up the hill, but expect a fair few gawps nonetheless. Because it looks like a McLaren F1 LM, yes, but also as the first one sold for £15m. Before it was even built…
The man himself added: “In just six years since we unveiled the T.50, the team has designed, developed, manufactured and delivered 100 customer cars to owners around the world. We’ve also started building T.50s, while T.33 and T.33 Spider are well through development, ahead of production. Alongside this, we have created an even more specialised range of vehicles that explore the limits of our design and engineering philosophy – it is a privilege to develop lightweight, beautifully engineered supercars for our customers and to share them with enthusiasts.” Cameras at the ready, then - best take a good microphone, too…
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