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Old 01-10-2009, 05:16 PM   #1
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Gordon Murray's 25 Designs

The T.25 is Murray's 25th design. While we can easily name some of the others — the F1, SLR, the LCC Rocket, possibly the Midas and about a dozen Formula 1 cars, has anyone seen any sort of list? I would be really interested to see one, and, failing that, start one.


Also, I didn't realize until today that Gordon Murray Design is headquartered in the same business park where the McLaren F1's carbon fiber pieces were manufactured (Shalford) but not assembled.

Here (Google Maps)

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Old 01-10-2009, 06:43 PM   #2
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Re: Gordon Murray's 25 Designs

I was poking around trying to find an answer to this after receiving your PM and came upon this article which I thought was quite good from an unlikely source:

Quote:
Inside Innovation
August 30, 2007, 10:18AM EST

A Formula One Designer Shifts Gears
Gordon Murray is now focusing on lightweight, low-cost, environment-friendly autos—but can he pull off a stylish, inexpensive design?

by Conrad Wilson

Famed Formula One race-car designer Gordon Murray, best known for his sleek design of the McLaren F1, a rare, $1 million-plus supercar launched in the early 1990s, has reversed direction: He's now focusing on a compact, fuel-efficient urban vehicle for the masses that will sell for about $10,000.

In July he launched Gordon Murray Design, based in Shalford, in Surrey, to turn his idea into reality. Far from the high speeds of racetracks or glamorous auto shows, Murray's own experience as an everyday driver inspired him to focus on a low-cost, mass-market car. Since 1993, he says, seeing London roads clogged with gas guzzlers motivated him to research and develop a car that would still have the design oomph of his high-end vehicles. Says the British designer: "I asked myself, 'How could you change people's view on driving something that was smaller and lighter, while being relatively safe, but also preserve the fun of driving?'"

There's more to Murray's vision, however, than designing an ultrahip small car. He wants to reduce carbon emissions on the front end of a vehicle's life by greening the production process itself. He rejects, for example, the popular idea that hybrid vehicles are the way to go. Hybrids, he points out, require the manufacturer to create two engines rather than one, using additional raw materials and energy.

"On the Right Track"
Can Murray can pull off a low-cost gas-saver with the appeal of a sleek race car? So far, Murray only has hand-drawn sketches of what the Type 25 will look like. Similar to the design tactics behind the Toyota Prius and the MCC Smart Car, the one-passenger Type 25 has a curvy silhouette and unusual proportions to distinguish it from more traditional vehicles and to declare, via form, its intention to be a game-changing, environment-friendly product. "It's very difficult to achieve that in any motor car," Murray says. "You're not going to get someone out of their Porsche 911 driving into London if people are going to laugh at them."

Murray has a history of designing smaller, lighter cars. In 1989 he created the 800-lb. Light Car Rocket Roadster, which ran on a motorcycle engine and remains the world's lightest sports car. For the heftier Type 25, he's experimenting with materials, substituting some steel elements with lighter yet sturdy alternatives, such as high-performance plastics. The car will weigh about 1,300 lbs., about 1,700 lbs. less than the average passenger car, and will use less fuel. The idea is to lower operating expenses for drivers to a third of that of the average vehicle, which in 2007 was 53.2¢ per mile, or $7,823 for every 15,000 miles driven, according to an annual American Automobile Assn. study.

"I really think he's on the right track," says Stewart Reed, chair of the transportation department at the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, Calif., citing Murray's dual approach of lightening the load and fuel usage of cars, as well as his reworking of the production process.

Running Down Emissions
Murray's plan has its critics, though. The vast majority of emissions come from the lifetime use of the vehicle, says Lee Schipper, director of research for EMBARQ, the World Resources Institute's transportation program. Seventy percent to 80% of total carbon emissions come from the use of the vehicle, 5% to 10% of carbon comes from repairs and fuel, and only 10% to 20% from the production of the car, he says. "While it maybe be true that a hybrid has some intensive production factors," Schipper says, "the overall carbon emissions are from the lifetime use of the car."

While the Type 25 is still in its drawing-board phase—Murray plans to build five prototypes within the next two years—the design solutions that he proposes could provide real inspiration for automakers and drivers alike.

For a look at Gordon Murray's innovative car design through the years, check out the slide show.

Source: http://www.businessweek.com/innovate...830_686990.htm
The slideshow content is more interesting than the article in my opinion, so don't miss it!

>8^)
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Old 01-10-2009, 07:25 PM   #3
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Re: Gordon Murray's 25 Designs

Wow, that's tremendously helpful!

I also found this painting, which I know I've seen before, but could provide some answers.

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Old 01-11-2009, 10:02 AM   #4
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Re: Gordon Murray's 25 Designs

This is in no way complete, but it's getting there.

At the Art Center in Pasadena in 2005, Murray was presented with the painting above. It showed 35 of the cars GM has designed. "GM didn't have the heart to tell him it was missing 12 of the 47 cas he had designed." source

So 47 in 2005, which means 48 including the T.25! Guess the title is no longer correct. Another article acknowledged this and labeled the T.25 as the "25th car Murray's designed not including variants." It also labeled the McLaren F1 as "Type 22", which is helpful as a reference.

1 1966 Ian Gordon Murray Ford "IGM Ford"
2 1972 DeCadenet LM1 Duckhams Ford
3 1972 Brabham BT42 Cosworth
4 1974 Brabham BT44 Cosworth
1975 Brabham BT44B Cosworth
5 1974 DeCadenet LM1 Duckhams Ford
6 1976 Brabham BT45 Alfa Romeo
1977 Brabham BT45B Alfa Romeo
1977 DeCadenet LM4 Ford (Belga livery)
1978 Brabham BT45C Alfa Romeo
7 1978 Brabham BT46 Alfa Romeo

8 1978 Brabham BT46B Alfa Romeo (Fancar)
9 1979 Brabham BT48 Alfa Romeo
10 1979 Brabham BT49 Cosworth
1981 Brabham BT49C Cosworth
1981 Midas Mark 2
1982 Brabham BT49D Cosworth
11 1982 Brabham BT50 BMW
12 1982 Brabham BT51 BMW (scrapped before competition)
13 1983 Brabham BT52 BMW
1984 Brabham BT52B BMW
14 1984 Brabham BT53 BMW
1985 Midas Mark 3 Gold
15 1985 Brabham BT54 BMW
16 1986 Brabham BT55 BMW
17 1988 McLaren MP4-4 Honda
18 1989 McLaren MP4-5 Honda
19 1990 McLaren MP4-5B Honda
20 1989 Light Car Company Rocket
22 1993 McLaren F1 (Type 22)
23 1995 McLaren F1 GTR
1996 McLaren F1 GTR
1996 McLaren F1 LM
1997 McLaren GTR Longtail
1997 McLaren F1 GT
24 Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren

25 2012 Type 25 City Car
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Old 01-12-2009, 12:31 AM   #5
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Re: Gordon Murray's 25 Designs

Just a point of clarification on the painting. It was actually given to him by a guy who showed up at the door of his home in England, as I recall.

He used it as the opening slide for his presenatation at Art Center in 2005. I know this because I was sitting next to TVRFreak (who created the McLarenFreak website) in the theater that day, and I heard Gordon give the same description you relayed from there.

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Old 01-12-2009, 03:07 PM   #6
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Re: Gordon Murray's 25 Designs

great painting!
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Old 09-11-2009, 02:52 PM   #7
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Re: Gordon Murray's 25 Designs

Just came across this thread.

Is the SLR McLaren really GM's design? He fought tooth and nail to change as much as he could about that car, and still thinks it's an abomination. Not sure he would want to be credited with it being his creation or design. He provided a lot of input on it, reluctantly, and wanted to change much more than he was allowed to, before it was released to the public.

I think it's a MB creation, or, at most, a Mercedes-McLaren collaboration (80% of it being MB).
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