This premiere Gordon Murray S1 LM now holds the title as the world’s most expensive new car ever to be sold at auction.
While the McLaren F1 team may not have had the best weekend racing in Las Vegas, its iconic road-going supercar namesake certainly fared better. Such is as the Gordon Murray S1 LM has just set a new record for the most expensive new car to be sold at auction (outside of charitable lots), with the hammer falling at a staggering $20,630,000 (RM 85 million)!
Developed by the new GMA offshoot dubbed Gordon Murray Special Vehicles (GMSV), the S1 LM represents the company’s premiere production model and is developed celebrate the 30th anniversary of Murray’s 1995 Le Mans–winning McLaren F1 GTR. Only five will ever be built, and the unit that crossed the auction block here was production number one.
Honouring that legacy, the S1 LM reimagines the McLaren F1 for a new era while staying true to its core principles. A fully carbon-fibre body keeps kerb weight to an astonishing 957 kg, and the exposed carbon theme carries through into the distinctive three-seat cabin, where the iconic central driving position once again takes pride of place.
And continuing the theme of respectful evolution, the S1 LM also retains the formula of a high-revving V12 mounted just behind the driver. This time though it is to be a bespoke Cosworth-developed 4.3-litre naturally aspirated unit that screams all the way to 12,100 rpm, delivering 720 hp exclusively to the rear wheels through a proper six-speed manual gearbox.
Now as part of their not-insignificant purchase, the lucky (and very wealthy) buyer will also be invited to participate in final development drives with GMA test driver Dario Franchitti, providing personal feedback to fine-tune the car to their individual preferences. They’ll additionally receive an exquisite 500-page monograph dedicated to the S1 LM, filled with photography, technical deep dives, and copies of original sketches and handwritten notes from Gordon Murray’s own notebook.
Finally, one other fun tidbit from this already headline-grabbing sale: in true RM85 million fashion, the S1 LM made a suitably dramatic entrance by being flown into the auction venue by helicopter. It is worth noting however that this was only the show car, as the buyer’s actual unit has yet to be built.
And while on the topic of helicopters, those who want a spinny fan stuck onto their supercar need not feel left out. They could simply wander over to Gordon Murray’s catalogue and place an order for a T.50 instead. Better still too, instead of paying $20 million, one could be yours from just $3 million.
Bargain!
