PAST IMPERFECT:Gordon Murray's design credentials almost guarantee future success, writes BOB MONTGOMERY
ARGUABLY THE greatest car designer alive today, Gordon Murray grew up in a motor racing family in Durban, South Africa, where his father raced motorcycles and later became well-known for his race car preparation.
After studying mechanical engineering at Natal Technical College, Murray built and successfully raced his own car, the IMG Ford, in 1967 and 1968.
The following year, with hopes of finding a job at Lotus, he moved to England, but a chance meeting with the Brabham designer, Ron Tauranac, led to him being offered a job at the Brabham F1 team.
When Bernie Ecclestone took over Brabham, Murray was appointed chief designer. Two Drivers’ World Championships followed with the Brazilian driver, Nelson Piquet, in 1981 and 1983, as well as finishing second in the Constructors’ Championships in 1975 and 1981. Between 1973 and 1985, Brabham F1 cars designed by Murray won no less than 22 Grand Prix.
Always an original and innovative thinker, his designs included the BT46B – the Brabham “fan car” – as well as the “low-line” BT55 in 1986.
At the end of that year Murray left Brabham and joined McLaren as technical director. It was the lessons learned from the “low-line” BT55 which led to the highly successful Honda-powered McLaren MP4/4 which in 1988 won 15 of the 16 Grand Prix and gave Ayrton Senna his first World Drivers’ Championship.
Between 1988 and 1991, McLaren cars designed by Murray won four consecutive Constructors’ and Drivers’ World Championships.
With this success behind him, Murray then turned his back on Formula 1 and took on an entirely new challenge, heading up the team that produced the McLaren F1 supercar between 1991 and 2004. Arguably the most significant supercar design ever, the McLaren was a personal triumph for Murray.
As if to counterpoint the technically sophisticated McLaren F1, Murray also designed the Rocket, an open cockpit roadster powered by a 1-litre motorcycle engine – a return to basic fast motoring principles, built by former racing driver Chris Craft’s Light Car Company.
In July 2007, Gordon Murray Design was established and it announced plans to develop the Type 25, a city car of revolutionary design and with completely rethought production methods. The design philosophy of Gordon Murray Design can be summed up in two words – size and weight.
Murray believes that all aspects of car design and manufacture need to be rethought in a world rapidly moving into an uncertain environmental future, and that we need to give motorists an incentive to change to smaller, lighter cars while at the same time demonstrating that these cars can be safe and above all fun to drive.
The Type 25 exists in prototype form but has yet to be unveiled, as Murray is in negotiations with several companies interested in producing it.
Already there is talk of his next project being a lightweight, economical supercar built to the same principles.
Given his track record, Murray represents the best prospect for future motoring and for cars that should be fun, low-cost and green in equal measure.