Professor Gordon Murray has been honoured for almost 60 years at the pinnacle of automotive design and engineering.
Professor Gordon Murray has received the motor industry’s highest honours for his unrivalled contribution to automotive design and engineering in the Formula 1 and supercar fields. The man’s legend lives on today, with the creation of the T.50 supercar, a vehicle that many consider to be the best driver’s car in the world. Built by high-end British manufacturer Gordon Murray Automotive (GMA), the T.50 follows Gordon’s countless other achievements, including the McLaren F1 and his five Formula 1 championship wins with Brabham and McLaren.
“This is a man who got his first job as F1’s chief designer at just 26. A man who then bent physics – and the rules – to his will and became one of the most successful F1 designers of all time. When F1 got a little boring, he designed the McLaren F1 and, even at the age of 70, he’s still at the helm of a company that’s responsible for some of the brightest and lightest analogue supercars the world has ever seen. His attachment to lightness is matched only by his attachment to facial hair. He is a legend in his own life. Gordon, TopGear salutes you,” said the Top Gear programme as it presented an award to the Briton.
Gordon Murray talks cars:
Presented by the internationally respected BBC TopGear magazine, the Lifetime Achievement Award recognises Gordon’s innovation, imagination and drive for absolute perfection over almost 60 years. Throughout his career, Gordon has built a reputation for clarity of vision and confidence in disrupting industry norms, something rarely seen in motorsport or road car production.
“It’s very humbling to receive a lifetime achievement award, because I’ve simply been lucky enough to chase my dreams and create vehicles I love. I have always been surrounded by a talented and creative team who share my vision of perfection behind the wheel. I am delighted to have had the chance, for almost 60 years, to work with Formula 1 drivers and supercar owners who are as passionate as I am about making and driving great cars,” thanked Murray on receiving the award.
Gordon Murray designed his first car in 1965 before moving to the UK to join the Brabham Formula 1 team as Technical Director. He won two World Championships there (1981 and 1983), before joining McLaren as Technical Director in 1988, where he was instrumental in three consecutive World Championship victories (1988, 1989 and 1990).
After winning 50 Formula 1 Grands Prix, he founded a new company, McLaren Cars Limited. The company’s first project was the famous McLaren F1 road car. In 1995, a racing version won two World Sports Car Championships and the Le Mans 24-hour race. He led several other successful projects at McLaren Cars, culminating in the Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren programme.
In 2007, Gordon Murray set up a new UK vehicle design, engineering, prototyping and development company, Gordon Murray Design Limited. The Surrey-based company has established a global reputation as one of the world’s leading automotive design teams and has pioneered an innovative and disruptive manufacturing technology – iStream.
Ten years later, still not satisfied, he founded British premium supercar manufacturer Gordon Murray Automotive with a clear objective: to build the best driving car in the world. Pursuing his lifelong passions for purity of design, lightweighting and the art of engineering, the company’s first supercar – the T.50 – won acclaim the world over.
T.50 supercars are built at the company’s new £50 million headquarters and vehicle production centre, and more than a third of deliveries have already been made to owners around the world. When production of the exclusive 100-unit series ends in 2025, GMA will begin building T.50s exclusively for the track, promising the most rewarding track driving experience in the world.
The GMA T.33 coupé and spider will then follow, celebrating 1960s-inspired design combined with the team’s renowned engineering skills. With its emphasis on driving perfection, exclusivity and engineering artistry, the T.33 model range should live up to the unrivalled standards set by Gordon throughout his career.