$20 million: Gordon Murray’s new supercar just broke an auction record

When a vehicle arrives at the auction site, the way it gets there is a good indication of its potential value. You would see an open trailer for your average stuff. An enclosed trailer means a little more money is at stake. If the car in question shows up by helicopter, your accountant may start hyperventilating. But that’s the way a car like the Gordon Murray Special Vehicles S1 LM is meant to be.

Record sales give the GMSV team reason to pop expensive champagne in Las Vegas. Chassis number one just sold for $20,630,000, the highest number ever for a new car sold at auction. That’s a pretty impressive amount considering the car hasn’t been built yet and no one has even driven it.

So what does the $20 million get you? Gordon Murray Special Vehicles plans to build just five examples of the S1 LM. This auction is for the first. The buyer will have sit-down sessions with Gordon Murray himself to determine how the car will be specified. Development sessions will take place, where the owner can provide feedback to the technical team. Three-time Indy 500 winner Dario Franchitti will also be present at these sessions.

Finally, the owner receives a 500-page book highlighting the process of creating their car. As well as being the ultimate coffee table flex, this book also contains original sketches and notes from Gordon Murray’s notebook.

While it’s true that no one has driven an S1 LM, it’s easy to go out on a limb and say the car must be pretty awesome. The exterior style is a tribute to the Le Mans-winning McLaren F1 GTR from 1995. Under the skin, however, the S1 LM is a modified version of the Gordon Murray Automotive T.50. Out back sits a 4.3-liter V-12 that produces about 710 horsepower and sends that power to the ground through a six-speed manual transmission.

The cabin is all business. The S1 LM features the iconic centrally positioned driver’s seat with a pair of rear-facing passenger seats on either side. You’ll need to wear headphones when driving this thing because the V12’s whine is likely to get quite loud.

Gordon Murray Special Vehicles initially stated that all five models had already been sold. In fact, only one buyer managed to pick them all up. However, this auction for chassis number one suggests this may not be the case. Perhaps we’ll learn more about the owner or owners of the five-car S1 LM after deliveries begin sometime in 2026.