Gordon Murray facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Gordon Murray
|
|
|---|---|
| Born |
Ian Gordon Murray
18 June 1946 |
| Nationality | British |
| Education | Glenwood High School |
| Alma mater | Durban University of Technology |
| Occupation | Executive chairman |
| Employer | Gordon Murray Design (2005–present) McLaren Group (1987–2004) Brabham (1969–1986) |
| Known for | Brabham Motor Racing Team McLaren McLaren F1 |
| Awards | FIA President Innovation Medal |
Ian Gordon Murray (born on June 18, 1946) is a famous car designer from South Africa and Britain. He is best known for designing Formula One racing cars. He worked as the main designer for the Brabham and McLaren Formula 1 teams for many years.
After his time in Formula 1, Gordon Murray started designing super-fast sports cars. He also created many other new and exciting car projects. He founded his own company, Gordon Murray Design, and later Gordon Murray Automotive. These companies are now part of the Gordon Murray Group.
Contents
Early Life and First Car Designs
Gordon Murray was born and grew up in Durban, South Africa. His parents were from Scotland. His father was a motorcycle racer and later worked on racing cars. This likely sparked Gordon's interest in vehicles.
Murray studied mechanical engineering at Natal Technical College. This school is now called Durban University of Technology. He even built and raced his own car, called the IGM Ford, in South Africa in 1967 and 1968.
Formula One Career
Gordon Murray moved to England in 1969. He hoped to find a job designing cars for Lotus. But by chance, he met Ron Tauranac, who was a designer for Brabham. Murray was offered a job at Brabham instead.
When Bernie Ecclestone took over the Brabham team, he made Murray the Chief Designer. This was a big role!
Designing for Brabham: 1969–1986
At Brabham, Murray designed many Grand Prix cars. Some of these cars won World Championships. One famous design was the BT46B, also known as "the Brabham fan car." This car had a large fan at the back to suck it to the ground. This helped it go faster around corners.
He also designed the BT49 and BT52. These cars helped Nelson Piquet win Drivers' Championships in 1981 and 1983. Murray became known for his new and creative ideas in car design and race plans. Between 1973 and 1985, his Brabham cars won 22 Grand Prix races.
Designing for McLaren: 1987–1991
In 1986, Ron Dennis asked Murray to join McLaren as Technical Director. Murray brought his experience from Brabham to the McLaren design team. The 1988 MP4/4 car was a huge success. It won 15 out of 16 races that season! This car helped Ayrton Senna win his first Drivers' Championship.
Murray also helped design the 1989 MP4/5 and 1990 MP4/5B cars. These cars also won championships. From 1988 to 1991, the McLaren team won four championships in a row. Alain Prost won in 1989, and Senna won again in 1990 and 1991.
Designing Road Supercars
From 1991 to 2004, Gordon Murray led a special team called McLaren Cars. Their goal was to design super-fast cars for regular roads. Their first car was the amazing McLaren F1 in 1992.
In 1995, a slightly changed version of the McLaren F1 won the 24 Hours of Le Mans race. This is a very tough endurance race. It was the last road-legal sports car to win this race overall.
Gordon Murray's Companies
Gordon Murray Design
In 2007, Gordon Murray started his own design company, Gordon Murray Design. He showed off his idea for a small city car called the T.25 (Type 25). This car was designed to be very light and use little fuel. It was even smaller than a Smart Fortwo car.
In 2009, his company worked with Zytek Automotive to create an electric version of the T.25, called the T.27. The T.25 won an award in 2010 for its great fuel economy. The T.27 won an award for electric cars the next year.
In 2019, there was a special event called One Formula. It celebrated 50 years of Gordon Murray's work in the car industry. Many of his F1 car designs were shown, along with the McLaren F1 road car.
On August 4, 2020, Gordon Murray Automotive announced the T.50 sports car. This car is seen as the next step after the McLaren F1. It even uses the "fan car" idea from his old Brabham BT46B design. The T.50 started being made in 2022.
On January 27, 2022, Gordon Murray Automotive announced another super car, the T.33. This car is a two-seater and uses the same engine as the T.50. It is built on a new platform that will be used for three more cars in the future.
Gordon Murray Group and Technologies
Gordon Murray also created the larger Gordon Murray Group. This group includes Gordon Murray Automotive (GMA) and Gordon Murray Technologies (GMT). GMT is the part of the group that focuses on engineering and new technology. They are working on electric cars, lightweight car parts, and future ways to get around.
In July 2023, a company from Abu Dhabi called CYVN Holdings invested in Gordon Murray Technologies. This investment helps GMT grow and develop new electric and self-driving car technologies even faster.
Other Cool Projects
Gordon Murray has worked on many other interesting projects.
He designed a super-light car called the Rocket. It looks like an old racing car with an open top. It uses a small 1-liter motorcycle engine. Even though it looks like a single-seater, it can fit a passenger behind the driver!
In 2016, Murray was asked to help design the OX truck. This is a special truck that can be packed flat for shipping. It's a low-cost vehicle for a charity called Global Vehicle Trust (GVT). GVT started OX Delivers to use this truck to help people in developing countries. Murray made four test versions of the truck. OX Delivers now uses the design to make electric trucks.
From 2015, Murray also worked with TVR to design their new car models. The TVR Griffith was released in 2017.
Awards and Recognition
Gordon Murray has received many honors for his work.
- In 2002, his old school, Durban University of Technology, made him an Honorary Professor. They also gave him an honorary doctorate in 2011.
- In 2019, he was awarded a CBE (Commander of the Order of the British Empire) for his services to motoring.
- In 2022, he received the first-ever FIA President's Innovation Medal. This was for his constant new ideas in designing race and road cars.
- In 2024, he won the BBC Top Gear Lifetime Achievement Award. This award recognized him as one of the greatest and most original thinkers in both Formula One and the wider car world.
See also
In Spanish: Gordon Murray para niños
