Sub-1000kg, Manual, High Revs For New McLaren F1-Inspired Sports Car

After many years developing lightweight chassis tech for small cars, the designer behind the McLaren F1 is putting together a sports car inspired by the same lightweight ethos
Sub-1000kg, Manual, High Revs For New McLaren F1-Inspired Sports Car

Gordon Murray, the legendary F1 car designer and the man who penned the McLaren F1, is working on an all-new lightweight sports car.

After years in the relative wilderness in the eyes of petrolheads, working on ultra-efficient (and often ultra-dreary) city cars that could help reduce inner city congestion and parking issues, Murray is back to the sharp end of the performance spectrum.

Sub-1000kg, Manual, High Revs For New McLaren F1-Inspired Sports Car

In an interview with evo magazine the 71-year-old dropped the first hints about how the ‘driver-focused’ car, the first of his planned range of IGM (Ian Gordon Murray) vehicles, will shape up. As you’d expect, light weight and aerodynamics will be key. He told the British magazine:

“Sports cars, supercars, hypercars – whatever you want to call them – are becoming more difficult for the driver to enjoy and exploit. I want to design and build a sports car that’s useable and 100 per cent driver-focused.

“The F1 was all about the driver and them being able to use its performance. Nothing has changed in 25 years to say a sports car today can’t follow that same philosophy.”

An early prototype iStream Carbon chassis
An early prototype iStream Carbon chassis

As far as weight goes, he uses the Mazda MX-5 as an example of a modern, but still very lightweight car that can succeed commercially. Speaking about the as-yet unnamed IGM sports car he explained:

“It has to be under a ton. Once governments have finished with emissions legislation they will move on to a car’s footprint and regulate this, too. We’re running out of space and big cars make no sense.”

So it’ll be small and below a tonne, then, in line with Murray’s love for the first-generation Lotus Elan. As for what will power it, he is more cryptic. It will be a ‘surprising’ engine bought in from an outside supplier in a deal that’s close to being signed. He said:

“What can I tell you now? It will be exciting, I can guarantee that. It will surprise a few people too, but importantly, and this is key to the whole car, it will be very pure, very driver-orientated in terms of how it delivers its power and torque.”

Sub-1000kg, Manual, High Revs For New McLaren F1-Inspired Sports Car

Dare we hope that he might mean it will rev higher than most cars these days? Only time and a press release will tell. As for the gearbox, Murray describes torque converters and twin-clutch options as “a non-event for the driver.” A manual looks to be on the cards.

The car will use a development of Murray’s ultra-lightweight iStream chassis construction, called iStream Superlight, using an extruded aluminium frame strengthened and stiffened by sandwiched carbonfibre panels.

It will also house “the most advanced [aerodynamics] ever seen on a road car” that focus on delivering more benefits to the driver at lower speeds. Statements like that also make us think that it’ll be a striking thing when it’s ready. We’ll keep an eye on this one.

Source: evo

Comments

CollegeSpots

Very excited!

07/30/2018 - 07:35 |
10 | 0
DL🏁

“What can I tell you now? It will be exciting, I can guarantee that. It will surprise a few people too, but importantly, and this is key to the whole car, it will be very pure, very driver-orientated in terms”

ROTARY HYPE

07/30/2018 - 08:12 |
64 | 0

Could you imagine the scenes lmao

07/30/2018 - 09:38 |
7 | 0

Do I smell LS?

07/30/2018 - 10:34 |
2 | 2

“[…] how it delivers its power and <b>torque<b>“ - so not a rotary

07/30/2018 - 13:46 |
1 | 0

Would absolutely love to see that, though i was thinking maybe he’s more inline with Freevalve tech made by Koenigsegg

07/30/2018 - 15:58 |
4 | 0

SAME EXACT THING that I came up with. High five &#x1F590;️

07/30/2018 - 17:03 |
2 | 0
Bring a Caterham To MARS

Wow. Gordon Murray is 71.
I did not need to know that.

07/30/2018 - 08:32 |
2 | 13

Reading that gave me a little existential crisis.

07/30/2018 - 08:34 |
4 | 0
JenstheGTIfreak (pizza)

Did he ask apple to make the chassis or something? iStream, he could have thought of something better

07/30/2018 - 08:42 |
6 | 0
CS55

[DELETED]

07/30/2018 - 08:50 |
1 | 0
5:19.55

He used the mx-5 as an exemple and talked about a “surprising” engine…
This looks very good, very very good!

07/30/2018 - 08:58 |
3 | 0
Anonymous

So something that’s not a torque converter nor a twin-clutch. I just hope that it won’t be a direct drive

07/30/2018 - 09:04 |
0 | 0
Tomislav Celić

In reply to by Anonymous (not verified)

DDrive is highly advanced. Too advanced. It has only one gear, but uses a clutch to simulate three gears. I don’t see how he will describe a twin clutch as a worse for enjoyment than a direct drive…

07/30/2018 - 13:16 |
0 | 0
Rotary Fanboy

Sounds like it is gonna have a inline 3…

07/30/2018 - 10:49 |
0 | 0
Anonymous

found the engine source

07/30/2018 - 11:51 |
7 | 0
TimelessWorks

In reply to by Anonymous (not verified)

now this would be properly epic

08/01/2018 - 11:12 |
0 | 0
Simon Wyatt (four arm squad)

FINALLY! A LIGHT MODERN CAR THAT IS NOT A MIATA!!!!!!!!

07/30/2018 - 15:14 |
2 | 0

4c
alpine
pretty light, modern

07/30/2018 - 22:07 |
1 | 0

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