Gordon Murray Le Mans GTR Makes Stunning Debut at Le Mans
Gordon Murray marked a landmark weekend at the Le Mans Classic, held from 2 to 5 July 2026. The event was headlined by the global debut of the Gordon Murray Le Mans GTR experimental prototype supercar and celebrated the designer's six decades of race- and road-car engineering.
The Gordon Murray Le Mans GTR XP1 took to the Circuit de la Sarthe for the first time, delivering its global dynamic debut in heritage racing green. Its longtail form flowed down the Mulsanne Straight and through the Porsche Curves. Dario Franchitti drove the supercar, which combined striking visual presence with the unique soundtrack of its high-revving Cosworth V12, its 12,100 rpm crescendo echoing across the circuit.
The sleek GMSV Le Mans GTR draws on Murray's own longtail Le Mans racers and integrates influences from icons of the 1970s, 80s, and 90s. Performance-led aerodynamics define its character, while the new platform blends road-going capability with track-inspired precision. The Le Mans GTR uses the Cosworth V12 engine and a six-speed manual transmission, with almost every other element re-engineered to create a lightweight, driver-focused, and endurance-inspired supercar.
Professor Gordon Murray formally started the Le Mans Classic race, waving the French tricolour flag from the start gantry above the pit straight once the demonstration laps of Murray-designed cars had finished.
Professor Gordon Murray, CBE, Group Executive Chairman, said: "It was a great honour to start the Le Mans Classic race, an event that celebrates everything I have loved about endurance racing throughout my career. My passion for longtail racing cars goes back decades – their blend of engineering purpose and aesthetic balance has always fascinated me. To see the Le Mans GTR, a car inspired by those machines, driving on this circuit for the first time was a very special moment."
Gordon Murray Automotive will build a limited series of just 24 GMSV Le Mans GTR supercars, all of which are already sold, with development underway and first customer cars set for completion in 2027. Alongside the Le Mans GTR, Gordon Murray demonstrated nine further cars on track, showcasing both the current and future range of supercars, as well as defining models from across his career. The full line-up completed an out lap, a flying lap, and an in lap on Saturday afternoon ahead of the Le Mans Classic race.
The on-track Murray line-up included the Gordon Murray T.50 VP1, a customer car in bespoke Tartan Red; the Gordon Murray T.50s Niki Lauda XP3, a track-only prototype in which Dario Franchitti bettered the GT3 benchmark at the Bahrain International Circuit by seven seconds during final testing; and the Gordon Murray T.33 VP12, a validation prototype in Sentinel Red. Also featured were the F1 GTR Shorttail 16R in Fina livery, a Le Mans-spec McLaren F1 GTR from the 1996 24 Hours of Le Mans; two F1 GTR Shorttail cars in Lark livery, championship-winning All-Japan GT Championship cars from 1996; the Duckhams LM Ford, a lightweight Murray-designed Le Mans racer from 1972; the Brabham BT49B, a championship-winning Formula 1 car from the 1981 season; the Brabham BT44B in Martini livery, an iconic mid-1970s Brabham racer; and the Brabham BT42, an early Gordon Murray-designed chassis owned by Richard Mille.
Dario Franchitti said: "Driving the Le Mans GTR at Circuit de la Sarthe was an incredible experience. The car has a real sense of purpose, inspired by endurance racing, yet it retains Gordon Murray's signature focus on the driver. Sharing that moment with the fans, alongside such an amazing selection of Gordon's road and race cars, made it even more special. It was a privilege to bring these cars to life in the setting that inspired them."
The Gordon Murray team will next return to the UK for the Goodwood Festival of Speed, following last year's celebration of six decades of design and engineering by Professor Gordon Murray CBE. In 2026, the team will focus on showcasing the unique soundtrack of multiple GMA V12 engines, including that of the Le Mans GTR, as they take to the famous Hillclimb from the Supercar Paddock.
Since unveiling the T.50 supercar in August 2020, the Gordon Murray team has designed, developed, manufactured, and delivered 100 customer cars worldwide. The model is widely recognised as one of the greatest supercars of all time. The team is already delivering the 25 track-only T.50s Niki Lauda models, while the T.33 and T.33 Spider supercars are deep into development. Last year, Gordon Murray announced the S1 LM and Le Mans GTR models, representing a new generation of even more focused, exclusive, and special supercars.
Gordon Murray is a UK-based global luxury brand dedicated to creating and manufacturing the world's greatest driving cars. These ultra-exclusive supercars, including the T.50, T.50s Niki Lauda, T.33, T.33 Spider, S1 LM, and Le Mans GTR, are engineered and designed without compromise to deliver an unrivalled driving experience and a driver-centric connection. The brand adheres to seven core principles across all its products: Driving Perfection, Lightweight, Engineering Art, Premium Brand, A Return to Beauty, Exclusivity, and The Customer Journey.
Professor Gordon Murray, CBE, Executive Chairman of Gordon Murray Group, spent 20 years as Technical Director at two Formula One teams between 1969 and 1990, applying deep technical, design, and engineering expertise. At Brabham, he played an instrumental role in two world championship wins in 1981 and 1983, followed by three consecutive championship titles with McLaren Racing in 1988, 1989, and 1990. After securing 50 Grand Prix wins, he left Formula One in 1990 to establish McLaren Cars Limited.
His first project, the F1 road car, became one of the world's most respected engineering achievements. Its racing version won two World Sports Car Championships and the 1995 24 Hours of Le Mans. McLaren Cars went on to deliver several major programmes, culminating in the Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren.
Gordon Murray left McLaren in 2005 and founded Gordon Murray Design in 2007. The innovative British company quickly became a world leader in automotive design, offering full in-house capability for design, prototyping, and development. In 2017, the special 'One Formula' event marked the company's tenth anniversary and celebrated 25 years of the iconic F1. In May 2019, he was appointed Commander of the British Empire for his contributions to motorsport and the automotive industry.
After founding Gordon Murray, he announced the T.50 supercar in 2019, revealed it globally in 2020, then led the development of the T.50s Niki Lauda track car, revealed in 2021; the T.33, unveiled in 2022; and the T.33 Spider, first shown in 2023. The year 2025 marked his 60th anniversary of race and road car design, alongside the launch of the S1 LM and the Le Mans GTR.
