ɡˈoːɹdən mˈɜːɹeɪ, ðə fˈeɪmd sˈaʊθ ˈæfɹɪkən dɪzˈaɪnɚ hˌuː hæd pɹˈiːviəsli wˈɜːkt æt bɹˈæbæm sˈɪns nˈaɪntiːnhˈʌndɹɪd sˈɪksti nˈaɪn, hæd dɪzˈaɪnd tʃˈæmpiənʃˌɪpwˈɪnɪŋ kˈɑːɹz fɚðə tˈiːm ænd dʒˈɔɪnd mək lˈæɹən ɪn nˈaɪntiːnhˈʌndɹɪd ˈeɪɾi sˈɛvən, ɹᵻtˈaɪɚd fɹʌm fˈɔːɹmjʊlə wˈʌn ˈæftɚ hɪz wˈɜːk ˌɔn ðɪs kˈɑːɹ.
Gordon Murray, the famed South African designer who had previously worked at Brabham since 1969, had designed championship-winning cars for the team and joined McLaren in 1987, retired from Formula One after his work on this car.