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Does the S1 LM look like a McLaren F1? It's supposed to.
The final Gordon Murray Special Vehicles S1 LM chassis has been sold in Las Vegas for US$20,630,000 (NZ$36,531,680). The company claims this makes it the most expensive new car ever to be auctioned (excluding charitable sales).
Gordon Murray Special Vehicles was launched as a maker of highly exclusive, very limited-run vehicles this year. Murray himself, former technical director of both the Brabham and McLaren Racing Formula 1 teams, is a legend in the supercar world. He created the F1 road car (1992-98), which many still regard as the greatest supercar of all time.
The S1 LM (aka “The Special One”) is the first creation of Gordon Murray Special Vehicles: just five examples are being built, with styling that recalls the 1995 Le Mans-winning F1 GTR, a bespoke 4.3-litre V12 engine with manual transmission, and lots of carbon fibre construction.
The car arrived at the auction venue in high style on November 21: dangling underneath a helicopter, lowered into the amfAR charity’s Gala Dinner at the Wynn Las Vegas venue.
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The winning bidder is getting not just a car, but a whole experience: personal specification sessions with Professor Gordon Murray CBE, development drives alongside four-time IndyCar champion and three-time Indy 500 winner Dario Franchitti, exclusive access to the Gordon Murray team, including participation in final vehicle development, and the “opportunity to contribute to the artistry and engineering behind the special car.”
This customer gets a unique 500-page monograph chronicling the S1 LM’s creation, including original sketches and notes from Gordon Murray’s own design notebook.
Professor Gordon Murray CBE: “This world record auction result is a defining moment for our entire team and for the automotive world. The S1 LM represents everything I have learned in six decades of design – a pure expression of driving perfection, engineering art, and a true return to beauty. To see it achieve this scale of appreciation is truly humbling.”
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