Part of a £300 million investment in the Gordon Murray Group is going on a “superlight” research and development facility to come up with slimmed-down architectures. These will be developed for both the GMA supercars as well as Gordon Murray Design projects that include an electric city car and delivery van, said to use a “revolutionary” vehicle architecture. A reprise of Murray’s diminutive T27 electric car seems on the cards.
Along with a newly set-up electronics division, it is all part of what Murray calls a significant expansion of the business to “put sharper focus on designing and engineering innovative electric vehicles”. In an echo of what Lotus Engineering does, the “superlight” frames and electric powertrains could be made available to global automotive manufacturers “and technology companies”.
The £300m investment over the next five years will also see work start in July on a new global headquarters in Windlesham, Surrey. It is planned to include a technology campus, heritage centre and bespoke design and engineering facilities. The electric car frames will be manufactured in a new facility at the current HQ in Dunsfold.
Is there still room for petrol power with all this going on? Murray tells us: “We are not abandoning internal combustion power. We will continue to create the pinnacle of driver’s cars with V12 petrol power as long as the regulations allow.”