Gordon Murray recreates the car that shaped his career
This clubman racer may look fairly humble with its Ford Crossflow engine and steel wheels, but it had a great influence on one of the most renowned car designers of all time. Gordon Murray built the original IGM-Ford Special in the 1960s, and this faithful recreation has just been built to mark 50 years of car design.
When Gordon originally designed and built the IGM-Ford, it was because he wanted to be a racing driver. But the process of creating his own car from scratch gave him a huge insight into car design. How much did it mean for the rest of his career? “Everything. I was actually an engine designer, but I learnt to design chassis on this car because I built the whole thing myself. It really was the beginning of everything.”
The IGM-Ford was built when Gordon Murray lived in South Africa. “I didn’t have any tools, and it was built in the back garden of my parents’ house,” he says. “The engine was built in my bedroom!” Conditions for the assembly of the recreation were much better – the prototyping team at Gordon Murray Design did the work, using the full facilities at the factory. “The quality is better than it was before! They’ve got all the right tools, the bodywork is a lot nicer,” says Gordon.
Despite being finished to a higher standard, it’s otherwise very true to the original. The original drawings and lots of photos were used to get it as close as possible. All the decals, for instance, are spot on right down to the 1960s Shell logo.
Mechanically, it’s just the same as the 1960s version. The Ford Crossflow is 1097cc, as the Class A rules of the National Sports Car Championship allowed cars up to 1100cc. It’s running on Weber carburettors and has race cams, a ported cylinder head and is lightened and balanced. “It will sound great at 8,000rpm!” The original car had more power – 93bhp versus 85bhp – because in those days they ran using avgas.
“There were lots of specials racing back then,” says Gordon, “but by about 1968 people started importing Lolas and Lotuses. You didn’t stand a chance against something like a Lotus 23.” After two successful seasons – winning his class several times – he stopped racing the IGM, but it had set him on a career-changing path.
In November of this year, around 40 Gordon Murray designed cars will be exhibited to celebrate his half century in the automotive industry. “This car is important as it’s the first one in the collection.”
Photography by Tom Shaxson
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