Gordon Murray
| Professor Gordon Murray | |
|---|---|
| Born |
Ian Gordon Murray 18 June 1946 Durban, South Africa |
| Residence | Surrey, England |
| Nationality | British |
| Alma mater | Durban University of Technology |
| Occupation | Executive Chairman |
| Employer | Gordon Murray Design (2005–present) McLaren Group (1987–2004) Brabham (1969–1986) |
| Known for |
Team McLaren McLaren F1 |
| Website | gordonmurraydesign.com |
Gordon Murray (born 18 June 1946 in Durban, South Africa), is a designer of Formula One race cars and the McLaren F1 road car.
Born to Scottish immigrant parents, Murray was born and grew up in Durban, South Africa. His father was a motorcycle racer and later prepared racing cars. Murray studied mechanical engineering at Natal Technical College (now Durban University of Technology, which made Murray an Honorary Professor in 2002 and an honorary doctorate in 2011). He built and raced his own car, the IGM Ford, in the South African National Class during 1967 and 1968.
Murray moved to England in 1969, hoping to find a job at Lotus Cars. But Murray was offered a job at Brabham after coincidentally meeting then Brabham designer Ron Tauranac. When Bernie Ecclestone took over the Brabham team, he appointed Murray Chief Designer. There Murray designed many Grand Prix cars, some of which were World Championship Grand Prix winners. These designs include the extraordinary BT46B, also known as "the Brabham fan car", as well as the World Championship winning BT49 and BT52. Murray developed a reputation for an innovative approach to design, applied not only to car concepts and details but also to race strategy.
Between 1973 and 1985 Murray’s Brabhams scored 22 Grand Prix wins, finished 2nd in the Constructors' Championship in 1975 and 1981, and gave Nelson Piquet Drivers’ Championships in 1981 and 1983. For the 1986 season, Murray designed the radical and highly ambitious lowline Brabham BT55 in an effort to increase downforce without adding excessive drag by lowering overall ride height. The car however was not a success, and the year proved disastrous for Brabham, with the team's 1985 car, the Brabham BT54 called into use for the British Grand Prix in a desperate effort to get results.
...
Wikipedia