Gordon Murray Le Mans GTR Makes Global Debut at Le Mans Classic
In addition to the global debut of the Le Mans GTR, a lineup of nine Gordon Murray vehicles took laps to showcase the company's current & future range of supercars…
This year’s Le Mans Classic (July 2-5) was headlined by the global debut of the Gordon Murray Le Mans GTR supercar experimental prototype, a unique celebration of the designer’s six decades of race and road car engineering, company officials stated in a press release.
Inside the Le Mans GTR’s Design
The Gordon Murray Le Mans GTR XP1 in heritage racing green 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 utilizes the Cosworth V-12 and 6-speed manual transmission, with almost every other element reengineered to create a lightweight, driver-focused and endurance-inspired supercar, noted the release.
The Nine-Car On-Track Lineup
In addition to the Le Mans GTR, Murray demonstrated a further nine cars on-track, showcasing both the current and future range of supercars, as well as defining models from across his career. The full lineup completed an out lap, flying lap, and in lap on Saturday afternoon ahead of the Le Mans Classic racing. The full on-track Murray lineup included:
- Gordon Murray T.50 VP1 – Customer car in Bespoke Tartan Red
- Gordon Murray T.50s Niki Lauda XP3 – Track-only prototype in which Dario Franchitti bettered, by seven seconds, the GT3 benchmark at the Bahrain International Circuit during final testing
- Gordon Murray T.33 VP12 – Validation prototype in T.33 VP12 Sentinel Red
- F1 GTR Shorttail 16R (Fina livery) – Le Mans-spec McLaren F1 GTR from the 1996 24 Hours of Le Mans
- F1 GTR Shorttail (Lark livery, x2) – Championship-winning All Japan GT Championship cars from 1996
- Duckhams LM Ford – Lightweight Murray-designed Le Mans racer from 1972
- Brabham BT49B – Championship-winning Formula 1 car from the 1981 season
- Brabham BT44B (Martini livery) – Iconic mid-1970s Brabham racer
- Brabham BT42 (Richard Mille) – Early Gordon Murray-designed chassis
Professor Gordon Murray Waves French Flag to Start the Race
Professor Gordon Murray, CBE and group executive chairman, was invited to formally start the Le Mans Classic race, waving the French tricolor flag from the start gantry above the pit straight after the demonstration laps of the nine Murray-designed cars were complete.
“It was a great honor 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,” said Murray. “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.”
Taking to the Circuit de la Sarthe for the first time, the Gordon Murray Le Mans GTR XP1 was driven by Dario Franchitti.
“Driving the Le Mans GTR at Circuit de la Sarthe was an incredible experience,” said Franchitti. “The car has a real sense of purpose, inspired by endurance racing, yet it retains that signature Gordon Murray 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.”
A limited series of just 24 GMSV Le Mans GTR supercars will be built – all of which are sold – with development already underway and first customer cars set for completion in 2027.
What’s Next for Gordon Murray
Looking ahead, the Gordon Murray team will return to the U.K. for the Goodwood Festival of Speed, July 9-12. This year’s event follows last year’s celebration of six decades of design and engineering by Professor Gordon Murray CBE. In 2026, the team says it will focus on showcasing the unique soundtrack of multiple GMA V-12 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 less than six years ago in August 2020, the Gordon Murray team has designed, developed, manufactured and delivered 100 T.50 customer cars worldwide, with the model widely recognized as one of the greatest supercars of all time, the company said. The team is already delivering the 25 track-only T.50s Niki Lauda models, while T.33 and T.33 Spider supercars are deep into development.
