Gordon Murray has spent decades proving that a great supercar does not need to chase every modern trend, and the newly revealed Gordon Murray Special Vehicles S1 may be one of the clearest examples yet. Unveiled during Monterey Car Week at The Quail, the S1 takes much of the mechanical goodness found in the wild S1 LM and repackages it into something intended to be more comfortable and usable on the road. That does not mean it is suddenly practical in the conventional sense, but compared with its more track-minded sibling, this is the Gordon Murray supercar you would want for a long weekend on your favorite stretch of pavement.

According to Car and Driver, the S1 began with a relatively simple idea. Remove some of the S1 LM’s more aggressive aerodynamic pieces, including the large fixed rear wing, deep side skirts, and pronounced splitter, and see what was left underneath. As these projects often go, Gordon Murray and his team did not stop there. Nearly every exterior body panel was redesigned, with only the roof reportedly carrying over. The result is cleaner and more restrained than the S1 LM without losing the purposeful proportions that make a Gordon Murray creation immediately recognizable.

There is plenty of familiar Murray thinking inside as well. The driver remains seated in the center with two passenger seats positioned slightly behind on either side, carrying forward one of the most famous ideas from the McLaren F1. This time, however, the cabin is better suited to covering serious road miles. The seats have more padding, additional sound-deadening material has been installed, and revised engine mounts help keep more mechanical noise out of the cabin when desired. Dihedral doors make getting in and out easier, while conventional roll-down windows replace the fixed Lexan setup found on the S1 LM.

Road & Track reports that the S1 also gains a softer suspension setup and roughly 10 millimeters of additional ride height. Those may sound like small changes on paper, but they speak directly to the car’s mission. With less need to generate enormous amounts of downforce, engineers could focus more attention on compliance and real-world road behavior. Former IndyCar champion and longtime Murray development driver Dario Franchitti has described the S1 as the type of car meant for a long drive to Scotland followed by a weekend spent attacking great roads, rather than simply serving as transportation to a racetrack.

The engine is still gloriously old-school by today’s supercar standards. Sitting behind the cabin is a naturally aspirated 4.2-liter V-12 producing 681 horsepower and 369 lb-ft of torque, paired with a six-speed manual transmission. The Cosworth-developed engine uses exotic hardware including titanium valves and connecting rods, dry-sump lubrication, and lightweight pistons with a silicon-carbide coating. Most importantly for anyone who believes engine speed is part of the entertainment, it revs to a staggering 12,100 rpm, with the fuel cut arriving at 12,400 rpm.

Just as impressive is how Murray has tried to make that V-12 enjoyable away from redline. The company says about 80 percent of peak torque is available from just 2,500 rpm, giving the S1 more flexibility on public roads than its screaming specifications might suggest. That broad delivery should make it possible to enjoy the car without constantly chasing five-digit engine speeds, although anyone fortunate enough to own one will almost certainly find reasons to run it toward the top of the tachometer. A six-speed manual only adds to the appeal in an era when automated gearboxes dominate the upper reaches of the performance-car market.

Weight remains another cornerstone of the project. Extensive carbon-fiber construction helps offset the S1’s extra sound insulation, more substantial seats, and other touring-oriented additions. Gordon Murray Special Vehicles says the S1 is actually lighter than the already featherweight T.50, which Gordon Murray Automotive lists at just 997 kilograms, or roughly 2,198 pounds. That focus on low mass has long been central to Murray’s philosophy, where responsiveness, braking, steering feel, and driver involvement matter more than simply winning a horsepower contest.

There is, naturally, one significant problem for anyone now reaching for a checkbook. Production will be capped at just 64 examples, and every one has already been allocated. GMSV has not publicly disclosed the S1’s price, either, although there is little reason to expect anything approaching ordinary supercar money. For perspective, RM Sotheby’s sold an S1 LM for $20,630,000 in 2025, a figure that underlines just how collectible Gordon Murray’s latest creations have become. The S1 may be the more road-friendly member of the family, but with a central driving position, manual gearbox, carbon-fiber construction, and a 12,100-rpm V-12, there is nothing remotely ordinary about it.