Gordon Murray, the famous designer who penned the legendary McLaren F1, has launched a new car brand. The announcement came at the ‘One Formula’ exhibition held in Dunsfold, UK. The new brand is called IGM, reviving the moniker from the T.1 IGM Ford Special race car of the late 1960s.
The yet-to-be-named halo car of the IGM brand was also teased at the event. The new car celebrates 50 years of Gordon Murray car design. It will be based on the updated version of Gordon Murray Design’s iStream architecture which was also revealed at the event. The designer-turned-carmaker asserts that the new car will be inspired by the engineering principles of the McLaren F1 – with a focus on lightweight and driving pleasure.
The IGM brand (an acronym for Ian Gordon Murray) will build the first car as a low-volume two-seater, the same size as the Smart Roadster. Since Murray always has been fond of small cars. It will be built at a new facility under the Gordon Murray Automotive banner. There is no concrete information about price or launch date available as yet.
Looking at the teaser, the all-new coupe seems to have a transverse mounted mid-engine layout. The iStream production will lend it a spacious cabin and a lightweight construction, packed in a super small body shell. We aren’t sure what will power the first car from IGM. The teaser image also highlights a Formula 1 style roof-mounted air-scoop. It is a nod to the racing car of yesteryears designed by Murray
The iStream contemporary manufacturing process employs high-strength aluminium sections in place of the steel. Its additional weight reduction over the traditional process provides a body-in-white structure. It weighs 50 per cent compared to the weight of stamped metal while achieving new levels of rigidity, durability and platform flexibility.
This year also marks the 50th anniversary of Murray in the vehicle engineering and design, the 10th year of Gordon Murray Design, 25 years since the McLaren F1 entered production, and the 10th anniversary of the company’s iStream automotive manufacturing technology.
The ‘One Formula’ exhibition brought together almost every race and road car from Gordon Murray’s 50-year career. It showcased familiar milestone cars, as well as a number of designs that have never or rarely been on the show before.
