SA born designer in bid to build world car

It’s probably the most serious get together that could upset the apple cart

Fuel and lubrication giants Shell is to build a City car in collaboration with legendary design guru and dyed-in-wool petrol head Professor Gordon Murray. They will co-engineer the car, codenamed Project M with engine specialist Osamu Goto.

The car is intended as a global City car with the aim of harnessing the Gordon Murray Design Group’s expertise in light-weight engineering, streamlining and driveline efficiency. It’s a rather interesting collaboration and one with serious consequences of fruition based on the strengths of the three-tier collaboration, and this is why:

South African born Murray is the man responsible for bringing to the world the peerless BMW powered McLaren F1, a one-time Guinness Book record holder as the fastest car on earth, and who previously attempted to build a similar project car – the T.25 a few years back.

Little known Osamu Goto is actually a big fish. As a student of mechanical engineering who went on to work for Honda and become chief engineer of the company’s Formula 1 team that built engines which the likes of Nelson Piquet, Nigel Mansell, Gerhard Berger, Alain Prost and Ayrton Senna drove to many victories. He also had engineering stints at McLaren, Sauber Petronas and Ferrari Formula 1 teams.

Shell needs no introduction as a major supplier of fuel to the world and the company is responsible for the design of lubricants needed for the project.

It’s also noted that the three parties have previously worked together in the record breaking 1988 Formula 1 season where Senna and Berger won everything except one race. Project M, which can be viewed as a continuation of the T.25 car concept will be revealed later in the month but a more complete concept of the car is expected in November of 2015.

 

Gordon Murray_Blaque_Magazine

Leave a Reply