Gordon Murray, McLaren F1 Creator, Debuts smart Competitor
Little known fact: Gordon Murray, creator of the indomitable McLaren F1 supercar, loves his smart ForTwo. Declaring it the next evolution of the old Mini, he thinks it’s everything a daily driver should be; efficient, simple, and fun to drive.
But of course, he is Gordon Murray, and there are few cars out there that Murray couldn’t improve upon. Or at least, that’s what Gordon Murray thinks. So, under a thick veil of secrecy, he’s been working on what was rumoured to be some sort of city car. Knowing his love for the diminutive smart, critics expected something similar, but no one would have suspected that the product he churned out would look anything like this: the T.25.
Weighing just 1,212 pounds and measuring just over four feet wide, the T.25 does small on a scale that even smart wouldn’t dare, and do so in an arguably smarter fashion, too. A long-time subscriber to the center seating arrangement of the McLaren, Murray’s T.25 boasts a “1+2” seating position which places the driver front and center ahead of a pair of rear seats. This keeps the car compact without relegating it to two-seating territory. With just 51 horsepower, it definitely won’t break the McLaren’s former record, but does allow the T.25 to achieve nearly 62 miles per gallon. Capable of turning around in under 20 feet and fitted with a BMW Isetta-like hinged front panel, the T.25s can be parked perpendicular to the curb, three abreast in a standard parallel parking space. All this should make the T.25 one popular vehicle, if it ever makes it to production.
