McLaren F1 designer Gordon Murray has just launched a car manufacturing outfit.
Called Gordon Murray Automotive, the new company is a spinoff of Murray’s eponymous design company formed in 2007 and responsible for the iStream production process.
Gordon Murray Automotive will look to utilize iStream for low-volume production to be sold under the Gordon Murray label and will present its first model, described as a flagship, in November. The company could also end up producing cars for rival firms.
iStream features Formula 1-derived construction and materials technologies that help keep complexity and weight low. The key is a fit-for-purpose approach to material usage and low parts count. The production process is also almost fully mechanized so cars can be churned out quicker and at lower cost.
According to Murray, factories designed for iStream require 80 percent less capital investment and use less energy and space than standard factories. iStream was first previewed in Murray’s T25 city car concept unveiled in 2008. The first company to actually utilize iStream, however, is TVR which is using it for its Griffith sports car unveiled earlier this year.
“The new manufacturing business significantly expands the capabilities of our group of companies,” Murray said in a statement. “With our first new car, we will demonstrate a return to the design and engineering principles that have made the McLaren F1 such an icon.”
More details on the plans of Gordon Murray Automotive will be announced November 3 during a celebration of the 50th anniversary of Murray’s automotive design career.
