Gordon Murray documentary featuring T.25

[AndyL]

I missed this program on the BBC some time ago, and was unable to find a rerun of it online.

However found one last night. Not sure if others have seen this or know this link, but it's worth looking at. I really like the T.25, first decent small car in a very long time. Hope it gets into production.

http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=110_1346959283&comments=1&safe_mode=on&use_old_player=1

[milnes]

Great story, I didn't realise Gordon Murray was involved in a small car development.

[Big Al]

This is the modern car that perhaps has most in common with the bubblecars. Its engineer lead, independent of the standard auto industry, thus it has first principle design in it, rather than miss-understood copy styling to try and pass it off as something interesting. It is clear to see the potential. Yet is it on the road being made? Its over 10 years old now. There my friends, is the difference between a real free market economy, and what we have now, a dependency economy. In a free market this car would be made, and might create a market for itself. Frankly the risk in a dependency economy frightens off investment to do pretty much anything, unless its someone else's money (which is why its a dependency economy, of course).

[AndyL]

It's been listed on his site as going into production by 2016. There is also the more conventional looking Yamaha Motive supposedly in the offing.

Going by past form, Murray is a person who follows through on his statements, so I don't have any reason to doubt the claims. Also you can't run a large consultancy business on smoke and mirrors, and although Murray is a wealthy man I doubt he would subsidise the development of a small car which he claims was harder than any of his earlier creations just for the sake of it.

[Big Al]

And economically, there is the difference. Free market, you set out your stall as did Fritz Fend and Ernst Hienkel. If your offering meets with some success, you reap the reward. If your Egon Breutsche, err, you do not. If your less sure on investing into full production you do an ISO or Fulda and let BMW or other party take the risk of failure while taking a % off the top. No one in their right mind is going to risk a huge chunk of thier own cash launching an unusual car into the current economy and market, full in the knowledge the Governments can shut things down on a whim. Pushy engineers tend to make enemies, as they deal in truth. Smoke and mirrors, yep plenty of that 'up the smoke' as it were. So much for the London Indigestion Charge!