Murray is a free-thinker who has long cherished the idea of a small and ultra-light urban vehicle that can be simply constructed and reduce CO2 output through its whole life cycle, from its construction using a small number of parts to its eventual recycling.
He promises something completely different from the normal run of small cars – “you don't even sit in it the same way” – that can sell for around £5,000.
Gordon Murray Design in Shalford, Surrey, is staffed by ex-McLaren engineers and T25, the city car, is its first project. While it will develop prototypes, Murray is seeking the right partner to mass-produce the car, either by selling or licensing the finished design.
It could go to an existing carmaker or a new operation could be set up for the purpose. It may be significant that one of the three shareholders in Gordon Murray Design is the Caparo Group, the steel and engineering products group that is expanding fast in the automotive sector in Europe and India.
Last year Caparo, started by Indian-born industrialist Lord Swraj Paul and run by his son Angad, acquired the Freestream supercar project from two more of Murray's colleagues from McLaren.
Its intention was to develop Caparo's skills in composite materials and to use the car, renamed the Caparo T1, as a hi-tech calling card.