5 of the Greatest Race and Road Cars Designed by the Legendary Gordon Murray

Born on June 18, 1946, in Durban, South Africa, to Scottish parents, Ian Gordon Murray fell in love with cars and motorsport from an early age.

After studying mechanical engineering at Natal Technical College (now Durban University of Technology), Murray built his own race car. He competed in the South African National Class during the 1967 and 1968 seasons.

In 1969, he moved to England, hoping to find a job in Lotus' design department since he was a huge fan of Colin Chapman. However, before he applied for a job with the famous carmaker, he coincidentally met Brabham co-founder Ron Tauranac, who offered him a far more exciting career in the race car manufacturer's design department.

He showed a lot of promise from the start, and when Bernie Ecclestone took over in 1972, Murray was promoted to Chief Designer.

The South African's revolutionary ideas added two additional Formula 1 Drivers' Championships to Brabham's trophy cabin, and by the mid-1980s, he was considered the brightest mind in the competition.

Murray switched to McLaren in 1987, becoming the F1 team's Technical Director. McLaren was virtually unbeatable during his four-year reign, winning four consecutive Manufacturers' and Drivers' Championships.

Apart from the epic race cars he designed, Murray was also responsible for several road cars, that became legendary.

So, without further ado, let's take a look at the greatest race and road cars designed by Gordon Murray.

Brabham BT46B

After two disappointing, winless seasons in 1976 and 1977 with the BT45 and its upgraded siblings (BT45B and BT45C), Brabham's Gordon Murray worked on designing a much-improved successor.

He decided to take advantage of the ground-effect innovations brought forth by Lotus, but since Brabham was running a wide Alfa Romeo flat-twelve engine, using conventional venturi tunnels under the car was impossible.

Murray convinced Alfa's lead engineer Carlo Citti to design a conventional V12, but since the engine would not be ready for the 1978 season, the South African had to get creative.

Working with his talented team, Murray devised a rear fan meant to produce the desired ground effect. However, to comply with regulations, the official explanation for the fan was an improvement to the engine's cooling system.

Two cars were modified and tested in secret with great results. Eventually, FIA approved the fan cars, which debuted at the Swedish Grand Prix.

Driven by Niki Lauda, the no. 1 fan car won the race with a 34.019-second lead over the second-place Arrows-Ford.

However, Murray's ground-effect fan caused an uproar from rival teams, so team owner Bernie Ecclestone, who was also the secretary of the Formula One Constructors Association (FOCA), decided to retire the car and race conventional BT46es that season.

McLaren MP4/4 (sort of)

Driven by Alain Prost and Ayrton Senna, the MP4/4 is still one of the most successful race cars in the history of Formula 1.

Powered by a Honda RA168E 1.5-liter turbocharged V6 capable of nearly 700 hp in race trim, it won 15 of the 16 races on the 1988 calendar and held the record for the highest win rate in a single season until 2023 when Red Bull Racing's RB19 dethroned it.

Gordon Murray had just arrived at McLaren and, officially, he's role in the development of the MP4/4 was to oversee the relationship between the design department, headed by Steve Nichols, and the engineers who put the car together.

However, Murray still states that he did far more than that and contributed to the design of the car in numerous ways.

There's still a raging debate about his role, with Nichols stating on numerous occasions that Murray's contribution was limited.

Despite the seemingly never-ending debate, Murray is recognized by many McLaren insiders from the era for playing an important role in the development of the famous F1 car.

Light Car Company Rocket

Murray left McLaren in 1991 but was far from finished designing cars. That same year, he joined forces with former racing driver Chris Craft and founded the Light Car Company in St Neots, Cambridgeshire.

The aim of the company was to create small, lightweight cars focused on-track performance but drivable on public roads.

The only car produced by LCC was the Rocket, a lightweight tandem two-seat open-wheeler created in the spirit of the Lotus Seven.

The 850-pound (385.6 kg) car was powered by a 143- or 165-hp 1,000-cc Yamaha motorcycle engine mounted in the middle of the chassis.

Equipped with the most powerful version of the inline-four, the Rocket could accelerate from 0 to 60 mph (97 kph) in four seconds, which made it one of the quickest production cars at the time of its introduction.

McLaren F1 1992–2000

While the Rocket was a great car, it was more of a side project for Murray, who concentrated most of its effort on developing the ultimate road-legal supercar during the early 1990s.

Legend has it that McLaren wasn't too eager to develop a road car, but Murray, who had already sketched the concept, convinced boss Ron Dennis to back the project.

Working alongside Peter Stevens, Murray designed what became the first monocoque chassis ever used on a production car. The structure was equipped with an advanced suspension system designed by expert Steve Randle and huge motorsport-derived brakes manufactured by Brembo.

The body was also high-tech, receiving a host of advanced aerodynamic features courtesy of Murray's Formula 1 experience.

For the engine, Murray ended up partnering with BMW, which appointed the legendary Paul Rosche to develop it. Based on the Bavarian manufacturer's M70 V12, the powerplant developed specifically for the F1 was dubbed S70/2.

Displacing 6.1 liters, the naturally aspirated motor delivered 618 hp and 479 lb-ft (650 Nm) to the rear wheels via a six-speed manual.

The F1 became the fastest, most advanced road-legal supercar in the world at the time of its introduction and is still considered one of the greatest cars ever built more than three decades after its introduction.

GMA T.50 and T.50s

In 2020, Murray surprised everyone by announcing the development of a spiritual successor to the McLaren F1.

Though no longer a McLaren but produced by the designer's own company (Gordon Murray Automotive), the F1 successor became a reality a few years later.

Dubbed T.50, the supercar incorporates many advanced features, including a new-age ground-effect fan and the several design cues including the staggered three-seat layout with a central driver's seat, are definite nods to the F1.

Apart from the standard T.50, Murray has also introduced a track-only version called T.50s Niki Lauda, which features a distinct body kit, a large rear fin, a rear wing, and a spartan interior.

Both versions are powered by a twelve-cylinder engineering work of art crafted by Cosworth. A 4.0-liter V12, the naturally aspirated motor, produces 654 hp in the T5.0 and 761 hp in the track-focused Niki Lauda.