Your next supermini could just have a touch of McLaren F1 about it, thanks to F1 designer and automotive guru Gordon Murray.
Murray has joined the Caparo Group – the huge automotive components manufacturer that is building the T1 supercar – but he won’t only be working on that headline-grabbing project. Instead, Murray has been hired as director of advanced vehicle concepts, with the aim of making lightweight vehicles a reality.
The idea, says Caparo, is to help reduce vehicle CO2 emissions, as lighter cars are more efficient and therefore less polluting.
“Our aim is to help car makers reduce the weight of their vehicles with affordable and practical composite solutions,” said Angad Paul, chief executive of Caparo. “As well as supplying composite materials, with Gordon’s help we can assist car makers not only in the design of individual components and complete vehicle systems, but also the whole car if required.”
Murray has plenty of experience of cutting cars’ weight, from the 390kg Rocket sports car to the 1138kg McLaren F1 and many Formula One cars, but is believed to be keen to put his knowledge to use on a mass-market car. Going on Murray’s past form, we can’t wait to sample the results.
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