- Gordon Murray Automotive is building five S1 LMs as a private commission, with deliveries planned for 2026.
- Styled by Florian Flatau, guided by Gordon Murray, while McLaren’s Peter Stevens remains the touchstone of the F1’s legacy.
- McLaren hasn’t protested — officially at least — but in a world of overlapping investors and quiet understandings, we never truly know what’s happening behind the scenes.
A Very Special Project
At Monterey Car Week in August 2025, Gordon Murray Special Vehicles revealed the S1 LM, a road-legal homage to the McLaren F1 LM. Underneath is Murray’s Cosworth-built V12, enlarged to 4.3 liters and capable of spinning beyond 12,000 rpm.
Only five cars will be built, all for a single wealthy client, with deliveries expected in 2026. It is not a production run, but a commission — the automotive equivalent of a private artwork.
Who Designed It
The McLaren F1 was a motoring masterpiece. Gordon Murray’s engineering vision and Peter Stevens’ timeless form. The S1 LM follows a different formula. This time the client enlisted Florian Flatau to design the car, with Murray guiding the project. It is not a copy, but a reinterpretation that nods to the F1’s DNA without wearing its skin.
Why McLaren Isn’t Protesting
On paper, McLaren has every reason to defend the legacy of the F1. Yet the company has stayed silent. The obvious reasons are easy to list:
No misuse of trademarks. The car carries no McLaren badges and does not claim the F1 name.
Tiny scale. Five cars for one client pose no commercial threat.
Investor overlap. Abu Dhabi’s CYVN Holdings now controls McLaren Automotive and also owns Gordon Murray Technologies. Stirring conflict would make little sense within that ecosystem.
Free publicity. Every story about the S1 LM inevitably celebrates the McLaren F1.
But that’s only what we can see. The truth is, we never know what goes on behind the scenes. Quiet conversations may have taken place. A handshake understanding might exist between the parties. In a world where investors bridge companies and relationships matter as much as contracts, silence can be strategic.
Not Like Alfa and Zagato
Consider the Alfa Romeo TZ3 corsa and Stradale by Zagato. Built during Alfa’s centenary in 2010–2011, they used the Dodge Viper’s V10 chassis because Alfa lacked a suitable base of its own. Fiat-Chrysler gave Zagato the right to use the Alfa badge, making the TZ3 siblings a corporate-sanctioned coachbuilt special.
The S1 LM is different. McLaren has not granted its badge or brand. It lives entirely within Gordon Murray Special Vehicles, styled by Flatau and guided by Murray, existing outside McLaren’s product line but always in dialogue with its history.
The image of the Alfa Romeo TZ3 Stradale By Zagato is owned by RM Sotheby’s
The Market Has Changed
Today’s collectors are not choosing between Ferrari, McLaren, or Bugatti. They buy across all of them, often commissioning bespoke projects at the same time. Cars are collected the way stamps or art once were, with rarity and story driving value as much as performance.
That appetite creates room for projects like the S1 LM. They don’t compete with factory models but expand the landscape of exclusivity. For McLaren, this makes the car less of a threat and more of a complementary homage.
Looking Ahead
The S1 LM proves the McLaren F1’s DNA still excites collectors, and it raises a bigger question: could this be a test case for how enthusiasts would react if McLaren and Gordon Murray Automotive ever worked together again?
The supercar world is fluid. Ownerships shift, investors cross over, and the lines between coachbuilders and OEMs blur. Nothing is fixed forever. McLaren may have no plans today, but the quiet acceptance of the S1 LM shows that such a collaboration might not be as far-fetched as it once seemed.
What we think
The Gordon Murray S1 LM is not McLaren-approved, but McLaren benefits by letting it exist. Murray and Flatau reinterpret a legend, one client gets five unique cars, Stevens’ legacy is reaffirmed, and the McLaren F1 remains in the headlines. And while McLaren hasn’t protested, in today’s dynamic world, we can never quite know what’s going on behind the scenes
Disclaimer:
This article combines publicly available information with informed speculation. The facts about the S1 LM, Gordon Murray Automotive, and McLaren’s ownership are drawn from online sources, while the interpretations remain speculative and editorial in nature. They are not official statements from the companies mentioned. If anyone connected to the organizations featured here has concerns or wishes to suggest edits, please reach out to us through the Contact form on our website.