Gordon Murray Automotive working on new generation of lighter and greener supercars

Gordon Murray Automotive has announced it’s working on a new generation of “ultra-lightweight, environmentally friendly vehicle structures”. According to the firm, these are designed for a whole “portfolio of new vehicles”.  

Called ‘Project M-LightEn’ (standing for ‘Monocoque architecture – Lightweight and Low Energy’), it’s got the backing of Innovate UK and the Advanced Propulsion Centre (APC), with the first vehicles from the project slated to launch in 2027.

Gordon Murray Group’s Business Director, Jean-Phillipe Launberg, said of the plan: “The potential for this project is exciting to Gordon Murray Automotive as the company constantly strives to utilise the very latest materials, technologies and processes to produce its driver-focused supercars.” 

The target is to construct monocoque chassis structures that are 25 per cent lighter, and 50 per cent more environmentally friendly within the next three years. Gordon Murray Automotive (which currently builds the GMA T.50 and T.33) says it wants to achieve the “lowest lifecycle carbon footprint of any supercar”.

As well as developing new manufacturing processes, the project will use AI to “optimise designs”. It will also aim to use 80 per cent recycled aluminium and produce ‘near-zero’ levels of carbon-fibre waste from the chassis structures. As well as being lighter, the new chassis design will be stronger than the ones that underpin Gordon Murray’s existing supercars. 

The consortium created to oversee the project includes Brunel University of London and is expected to create 160 new jobs. Geoff Scamans, Professor of Metallurgy at Brunel, said: “The M-LightEn project will use the highest-performing aluminium extrusion alloys formulated from recycled end-of-life aluminium using novel thermomechanical processing techniques developed in this five-year programme.”

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