$20.6 MILLION FOR THE ‘SPECIAL ONE’: GORDON MURRAY S1 LM BREAKS RECORDS IN VEGAS
Some cars arrive quietly. Some arrive with a whisper. And then there’s Gordon Murray Special Vehicles’ S1 LM Supercar Chassis #1, which made its dramatic debut suspended beneath a helicopter over the Wynn Las Vegas on 21 November, landing like a missile at the amfAR Gala Dinner during the Formula One Grand Prix. This wasn’t just an entrance - it was a statement: the S1 LM is the ultimate collector’s supercar, and one bidder proved it by paying a jaw-dropping $20,630,000 (around R354,000,000) at auction, officially setting a new benchmark for the most expensive new car ever sold at auction (charity sales aside). Daaaaamn son! With only five examples ever made, every S1 LM is more than a car - it’s a personal journey into driving perfection. The winning bidder now gets access to experiences that most mortals can only dream of:
Bespoke specification sessions with Professor Gordon Murray CBE to shape every detail of their S1 LM
Development drives alongside four-time IndyCar champion and three-time Indy 500 winner Dario Franchitti
Insider access to the GMSV team and participation in final vehicle development
A deep dive into the creation of the car, including a 500-page monograph with sketches and notes from Murray himself
Professor Murray reflects on the milestone: "The S1 LM represents everything I have learned in six decades of design - a pure expression of driving perfection, engineering art, and a true return to beauty. To see it achieve this scale of appreciation is truly humbling." The S1 LM isn’t just rare - it’s a miniaturised masterpiece of Murray’s principles, wrapped around the DNA of the legendary McLaren F1 LM that includes iconic styling inspired by the 1995 Le Mans-winning McLaren F1 GTR, a 4.3-litre V12 engine producing 530 kW at 12,100 rpm, a newly optimised six-speed manual and race-refined suspension, ultra-lightweight carbon fibre body panels and a polished carbon fibre interior with unique artistic detailing.
The S1 LM first stunned the world during Monterey Car Week 2025, where all five chassis were pre-sold to a single collector. This Las Vegas auction didn’t change ownership of the remaining four - but it did make history, proving that Gordon Murray’s vision of lightweight engineering, driving purity, and design as art isn’t just respected… It’s worshipped
Take a look at the YouTube video that shows off the first of the five S1 LM models created, which was sold on auction for a stupendous amount of money. Like seriously, stupid money, like small country national national budget money: The Special One | Gordon Murray Automotive
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