The GMA S1 is today’s McLaren F1 – sorry, T.50 owners
Gordon Murray Automotive has revived the McLaren F1 with the road-biased GMA S1, a 12,100rpm V12 special based upon the ultra-exclusive S1 LM
Remember the GMA S1 LM from last year? It's hard not to. It caused a bit of a stir with its uncanny resemblance to the McLaren F1 GTR, and the fact the first example sold at auction for a not-inconsiderable $20.63m. Just a year on, Gordon Murray Automotive is back at Monterey Car Week with the launch of perhaps the absolute pinnacle of its lineup: the road-biased S1, short for the ‘Special One’. And we can see why.
If you thought the S1 LM bears a close resemblance to the McLaren F1, the S1 might as well be a direct descendant. And it is, in many ways, as while this car shares no hardware with the ‘90s hypercar icon, the mind behind it all has kept its philosophy and design all but untouched. Gordon Murray developed this latest commission as a more accessible, grand touring-focused alternative to the sharp, track-focused one-of-five S1 LM, which aligns very closely to the premise of the original McLaren F1.
> Gordon Murray Automotive T.50 review – the ultimate analogue hypercar
Technical highlights and design
At its core is the same carbonfibre monocoque and suspension architecture as the S1 LM, but while its track and width are identical, just about everything else has changed. Ride height has increased by 10mm for improved useability, and its suspension has been completely retuned for comfort over long-distances.
Its design language might be shared with the LM too, but each and every one of its carbonfibre body panels has been painstakingly redesigned in-line with its sleeker F1-esque aesthetic – the LM’s fixed rear wing, front splitter and side skirts have all been ditched in favour of a discreet, integrated active aero system.
In terms of its design, this is as close to a remanufactured McLaren F1 as anyone will dare to get, whether you’re Gordon Murray or not. Its more intricate surfacing is a byproduct of the much-improved manufacturing techniques of today, but the F1’s elegant proportions, abrupt rear end and sculpted dihedral doors are all carried across – even the shutlines are identical, accentuating its steep rake from the tail all the way to the low nose. Lighting units are of very similar shapes and proportions at the front and rear, too, only re-engineered to incorporate today’s technology. The same can be said for the lightweight, five-spoke centre-lock wheels.
McLaren F1 fanatics will be able to spot a few key design changes though. The roof scoop to draw air from right above the cabin and into the waling V12 is present and correct, but it’s a more pronounced unit on the S1, standing proud of the roof as opposed to the flush, integrated look on the F1.
The wing mirrors are no longer mounted to the front wings, but instead on the A-pillars, and the S1 also gains a pair of fog lights in the lower intake. The production McLaren F1 never received these, but they were featured on the early 1992 Monaco show car designed by Murray himself.
‘With the S1, we wanted to show how much beauty and purity there is in this design when the more extreme aerodynamic elements of the S1 LM are stripped away. It has the same intensity, response, and engineering integrity, but has been tuned for a different purpose. This is a car you could drive along the coast from Los Angeles to Monterey in real comfort, still enjoying every gearshift, every corner, and every note of the V12 when the road opens up. It is exclusive, analogue, and deeply driver focused, but also more elegant, more refined, and more usable over distance,’ said Professor Gordon Murray, CBE, Group Executive Chairman.
Engine and transmission
The GMA S1 might focus on easier, long-distance performance, but its engine is far from soft, being a 4.2-litre, 12,100rpm take on GMA’s Cosworth-developed naturally aspirated V12. Power output stands at 680bhp, 20bhp more than the smaller displacement T.50, around 20bhp less than its S1 LM sibling. As impressive as that is, it only eclipses the McLaren F1 by around 50bhp, but the new car’s focus doesn’t lie in straight-line performance. As with any GMA product, it’s about pure, transparent driver-machine interaction, and there have been numerous of changes made to ensure it delivers just that.
The V12 is paired to what GMA specifies as a ‘real’ a six-speed manual transmission, including a long-ratio sixth for high speed cruise and a shift cable re-routed for a more precise, ‘rifle-bolt’ feel. You shouldn’t feel the need to shift quite as often in this car as other GMA products though, as the S1’s engine configuration focuses on accessible, low-end torque for easy progress – 80 per cent of its total torque is available from 2500rpm, with 369lb ft available from 7000rpm (a whole 5100rpm before redline, don’t forget). Peer into the engine bay itself and you’ll find a polished Inconel exhaust system alongside a 24-karat gold plated heat shield, just like the F1.
Interior design and tech
In-keeping with the grand touring theme, the S1 gets a much more luxurious cabin, appointed with plenty of leather, a new and improved lightweight sound system and enhanced sound deadening for NVH. The fundamentals are all still there though, as it features the same three-seat layout with the driver in the middle, only now with more comfortable GT seats.
The dihedral doors open upwards in the same fashion as on the McLaren F1 and the S1 LM, but now open wider than on S1 LM for improved everyday practicality. If you’re brave enough to use this car every day, that is. The lightweight Lexan windows of the LM are also swapped for drop-down glass in the S1, and in addition to the A-pillar mirrors, you get a discreet rear-view camera system for improved situational awareness on the road.
The S1 LM this car is based on was limited to just five units in total, but the S1 will be commonplace by comparison. 64 units will be produced, over half the total production run of the McLaren F1. Pricing is undisclosed but given the precedent set with the $20.63m sale of the first S1 LM, it’s fair to say it’ll be deep into seven figures.
