Monterey Car Week is packed with seven-figure machines and wild technology, yet the car everyone kept talking about was one built around ideas most of the industry walked away from years ago. The Gordon Murray S1 showed up with a screaming V12, a stick shift, and a driver’s seat planted right in the middle, and it stole the whole show.
- A bespoke 4.2-liter Cosworth V12 revs all the way to 12,100 rpm and makes 681 hp with no turbos or hybrid help
- Only 64 will be built, and every single one sold before the cover even came off
- The S1 weighs under 997 kg thanks to carbon fiber construction, a manual gearbox, and a stripped-back approach to driver aids
A Reveal People Are Calling the Best Ever
Supercar unveilings tend to lean theatrical, but this one raised the bar. Gordon Murray and three-time Indianapolis 500 winner Dario Franchitti walked onto the stage with the car still hidden under a cover. Then the V12 fired up. Still concealed, the engine climbed to a ferocious howl while a live band launched into a heavy rock number around it. When the sheet finally dropped, the reveal showed a compact, low-slung car painted in a soft pale turquoise.
The contrast did a lot of the work. A wild 12,100-rpm engine wrapped in a delicate, jewel-like shape made the moment land hard. Social media lit up, and plenty of onlookers called it the greatest supercar reveal they’d seen.
An Engine From Another Era
The heart of the S1 is a bespoke 4.2-liter naturally aspirated Cosworth V12 that spins to 12,100 rpm. That kind of redline feels like a message from a world that turbochargers, hybrids, and electric motors have slowly pushed out of reach. It produces 681 hp and pairs with a six-speed manual gearbox, so the driver stays fully in the loop.
Open the engine bay and you get a bit of a treasure-chest moment. There’s a highly polished Inconel alloy exhaust and a 24-carat gold-plated heat shield. The internals read like a race engine, with silicon carbide-coated lightweight pistons, titanium valves, titanium connecting rods, and a dry-sump lubrication system. For a car meant to cover real distance, though, it’s surprisingly usable. About 80% of torque is on tap from just 2,500 rpm, and a longer sixth gear keeps things relaxed at cruising speed.
Built to Drive, Not Just Chase Lap Times
The S1 is the newest creation from Gordon Murray Special Vehicles, and it follows last year’s S1 LM, a far more aggressive, track-focused tribute to the McLaren F1 GTR and its 1995 Le Mans win. This one has a different job. It’s a long-distance road car, and while it shares its underlying architecture with the LM, every exterior body panel is unique. The result is a softer, more elegant shape that reads as a modern take on the original 1990s McLaren F1 that Murray also designed.
Inside, the driver sits in the center, flanked by two passenger seats, with everything focused on visibility, ergonomics, and a direct mechanical feel. Compared with the hardcore LM, the S1 gets more sound insulation, extra refinement, and proper roll-down side windows. Even the upward-opening doors were redesigned for easier access. The obsessive weight target still holds, with the car tipping the scales at under 997 kg despite the added comfort. Carbon fiber runs throughout the build.
Aerodynamics took a gentler turn too. Instead of the huge fixed wings on the LM, the S1 uses an all-new active system built into the rear diffuser. The goal isn’t maximum downforce for a fast lap. It’s keeping the car balanced and planted as road speed rises. The suspension is tuned for comfort over long hauls, and ride height went up by 10 mm.
Why This Throwback Struck a Nerve
Most of today’s fastest cars chase more power, more electric assistance, more software, and more aero trickery. The S1 heads the other way. It keeps the human at the center of the experience, and that’s exactly why it exploded online at an event overflowing with high-tech hypercars. Only 64 owners will ever get to feel it for themselves, but the car still delivered something bigger for the rest of us. It’s proof that the supercar hasn’t run out of genuinely thrilling stories to tell. Sometimes the boldest move is trusting the driver.
