2017 Mclaren 570 on 2040-cars

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Gordon Murray, F1-driven production and .. the Pontiac Fiero

Gordon Murray's design and engineering chops are unquestionable. But does his carmaking approach owe something to the short-lived Pontiac Fiero, a scrappy little car program that emerged from GM against serious resistance? Murray had a Formula One career that ran from 1969 to 1991, with stints at Brabham ('69 to '86) and McLaren ('87-'91), that resulted in several shelves' worth of trophies for the cars he was instrumental in designing. He moved on to McLaren Cars, the consumer side of things, where, during his tenure from 1991 to 2004, he helped design the McLaren F1 and the Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren, two cars that took learnings from his two decades in Formula One. What do all of these cars have in common? Three things: They are light. They were built in limited numbers. And they were (and are) exceedingly expensive—when the McLaren F1 debuted in 1994, it stickered at $815,000. Murray went on to establish Gordon Murray Design in 2007. GMD has created some interesting concept vehicles, such as the diminutive T.25 city car (94.5 inches long, 51.1 inches wide and 55.1 inches high), and the OX, a lightweight truck for the developing world that packs like an IKEA shelf and is working toward realization through a worthy crowdfunding campaign established by the Global Vehicle Trust. Now he has created a vehicle manufacturing company, Gordon Murray Automotive, that will use manufacturing methods that he developed under the moniker "iStream." Unlike a unibody, there are the "iFrame," a cage-like construction made with metallic components, and the "iPanels," which are composite. The panels aren't simply a decorative skin; they actually provide structure to the vehicle. Presumably this has something of the F1 monocoque about it. Going back to the three elements, (1) this arrangement results in a vehicle that can be comparatively light; (2) Murray has indicated that his manufacturing company will be doing limited-run production; and (3) to launch Gordon Murray Automotive they are going to be building a flagship model, about which Murray said, "With our first new car, we will demonstrate a return to the design and engineering principles that have made the McLaren F1 such an icon." Which seems to imply that it will be on the pricey side. According to the company's verbiage, "iStream forges an entirely new production method that defies conventionality with its Formula One-derived construction and materials technologies." It also sounds a whole lot like ...

McLaren P1 looks retrolicious in Gulf livery

We live in a bit of a conundrum over here in the Autoblog editorial office. On the one hand, we're big fans of progress – and things move fast in the automotive industry. On the other, we do like a bit of retro style from time to time – especially when it comes to classic racing liveries. Where those two intersect, though, can leave us weak in the knees. Like this McLaren P1, for example, decked out in retro Gulf livery. Commissioned from the McLaren Special Operations by Canadian venture capitalist and philanthropist Miles Nadal, this one-of-a-kind take on Woking's flagship hybrid hypercar looks prime to line up alongside a Martini-liveried Porsche 918 Spyder or trounce a JPS-inspired Lotus Evora. It may not have the Gulf Oil logos plastered all over it – that would strike us as a little over the top – but it has been done up in the traditional baby blue with orange accents, from the tapered orange stripe running over the top to the orange brake calipers. The theme continues subtly inside where McLaren's own signature orange accents are joined by more baby blue to complete the theme. Though McLaren might not be as closely associated with Gulf as say, Aston Martin or Porsche, the two have crossed paths on a handful of notable instances over the course of their respective histories in racing. One of the most iconic of the long-tail McLaren F1 GTRs wore Gulf livery alongside Davidoff logos, as did another short-tail example, as well as an M8D, M16B-2 and M19A straight through to the modern MP4-12C GT3. Featured Gallery McLaren P1 in Gulf livery View 12 Photos News Source: McLaren via Facebook McLaren Coupe Supercars mclaren p1 mclaren special operations gulf mso

McLaren won't offer 540C in United States

McLaren launched its new entry-level Sports Series in New York with the 570S, and followed up in Shanghai with the more affordable 540C. However we can now confirm that the 540C won't be offered in the United States. In correspondence with Autoblog (and following rampant speculation circulating the Internet), McLaren spokesman Wayne Bruce confirmed: "Following a series of previews in which interest from American customers has been exclusively in the 570S, we will now concentrate on only this model for the launch of Sports Series in the US to satisfy demand." That means the 570S will remain (for the time being at least) the most affordable model – if a term has ever been more relative – McLaren will offer in the US, priced at $184,900. We can also expect additional versions of the Sports Series to follow, including a roadster and a third bodystyle as well. The cheaper 540C won't be kept out of North America altogether, though: it will be offered in Canada. North of the Border, the 540C is priced at $196,500 Canadian (equivalent to about $158k at current exchange rates), with the 570S going for $219,750 Canadian (~$177k). Related Video: