McLaren F1 designer readies T.27 electric city car and T.25 petrol variant

Great news, carbon botherers: a couple of brand-new eco-friendly city cars debuted this week, courtesy of the man behind the iconic McLaren F1 hypercar. The Gordon Murray Design T.25 runs on petrol power while the T.27 is driven by electricity.

The T.27 is said to be the world's most efficient electric vehicle. It promises a range of between 80 and 100 miles and its 12V battery and motor will take it from 0-60 in 15 seconds and provide a top speed of 65mph. Like all electric cars, it'll deliver emissions-free motoring and exemption from UK road tax, and it can be fully recharged for a couple of quid on an ordinary household electrical outlet.

If you're suffering a touch of range anxiety, the car's petrol cousin, the T.25, could be an option. It uses the same chassis, but is powered by a gas-sipping three-cylinder 660cc engine that produces 51bhp. It'll do 0-62mph in 16.2 seconds, reach a restricted top speed of 90mph, return a very impressive 74mpg, and spew as little as 86g/km of CO2.

They're a slight departure from Murray's iconic McLaren F1, which could cover 0-60mph in 3.2 seconds and reach an almighty 240mph top speed. Still, both the T.25 and T.27 share the F1's DNA. All three cars have a centrally mounted driver's seat and steering wheel, though the T.25 and T.27's passenger seats are mounted side by side in the rear of the cabin.

Both city cars measure just 2.4m in length and 1.3m in width. This allows three of them to fit in one standard UK parallel parking space, trebling much-needed urban parking, according to the Gordon Murray Design Web site. More worryingly, the site also says two of the cars can travel in one UK motorway lane "trebling the capacity and reducing congestion". We recommend you try that one at your own risk.

Gordon Murray Design says T.25 should go on sale within the next two years. Its electric sibling should follow shortly afterwards.