When was the last time you saw a supercar without those massive wings, excessive list of electrical nannies, with a pure V12 engine and weight lower than a tonne? Probably more than two decades!
GMA (Gordon Murray Automotive) has unveiled its T.50 supercar in full for the first time, showing the finished exterior and interior design and confirming its absolutely bonkers technical specifications. The T.50 has been engineered to be the purest, lightest, most driver-centric supercar ever.
Professor Gordon Murray, while improving on his legendary McLaren F1 “in every conceivable way”, is leading the team that will begin building road going versions of the 986kilogram supercar around the first half of 2022. Justifying its £2.36m (before taxes) price tag, the T.50 promises to deliver an unsurpassed driving experience. It is powered by a 100% bespoke 3.9-litre, 663PS naturally aspirated V12 engine built by COSWORTH that revs to a record-breaking 12,100rpm!!!, and features the most advanced and effective aerodynamics ever seen on a road car, ala, a 400mm rear-mounted fan!
This is the first time the lines of the exterior and the driver-focused interior have been seen. From his first ballpoint sketches, to every engineering and design detail, Prof Gordon Murray has led the GMA team and briefed and overseen suppliers to drive the project forward at an unrelenting pace. Murray’s design for T.50 was the 50th in a prestigious line of race and road cars he’s penned over his illustrious 50-year career, both reasons combining to name the car T.50.
The most dominant characteristics of the T.50 exterior design are its purity and balance, free from those massive wings, skirts and vents bigger than our face that adorn most modern-day supercars. The clean surfaces are enabled by the most advanced and effective aerodynamics ever seen on a road car, resulting in deliberately simple, beautiful lines and a timeless appearance. The purity of the silhouette is broken dramatically when the pair of dihedral doors rise up and forwards, coming to rest high above the passenger cabin.
Inside, the driver-centric approach is plain to see from the central, jet fighter-like driving position, to the aerospace-grade primary and secondary controls arranged in an ‘ergonomic bubble’ around the driver. Quality of materials, the utmost precision, and simplicity of visuals define the whole car, but nowhere is this more evident than inside the cockpit. Local suppliers in the UK are responsible for every major component throughout the interior, as well as every facet of the car’s exquisitely-engineered underpinnings an attribute insisted upon by Murray who was determined the T.50 would be a true British sports car.
With a vision that the car, and every element of its componentry, would be considered ‘engineering art’, Gordon Murray set out to create a vehicle that surpassed all others, fostering new levels of pride and connection among owners. Every T.50 customer has the opportunity to meet Murray to discuss their car and personalise it inside and out. Part of this process includes a seat, steering wheel and pedals ‘fitting’ session, personalised to every owner, that will ensure the T.50 is ergonomically perfect and individualised for each discerning customer.
KEY POINTS
The Overview T.50 breaks from performance-car convention, weighing significantly less than any other current supercar and delivering an unrivalled driving experience.
Gordon Murray Automotive is not chasing power or top speed figures.
Its engine is designed to deliver optimum performance, not to hit prescribed power, speed or acceleration target.
It has the most advanced and effective aerodynamics of any road car.
Non-committee-based vision and control enables purity of decision making.
Purity of design : no unsightly flaps / vents / wings.
Daily usability : comfort for three passengers with good luggage space, day-to-day refinement and practicality.
Chassis and Body Details
Chassis and body constructed from high-grade carbon fibre
Carbon tub monocoque provides exceptional stiffness and torsional rigidity
Carbon fibre body panels ensure lightness – total body including monocoque weighs less than 150kg
Monocoque construction and F1-style ‘passenger safety cell’ provides exceptional occupant safety protection
Glazing is 28% thinner than typical glass delivering valuable weight saving
Aerodynamics The most advanced aerodynamics of any road car.
Unique 400mm ground-effect fan combines with active underbody aerodynamics and two dynamic rear spoilers to aid performance and help deliver an unrivalled driving experience.
Six aero modes enable driver to optimise dynamic and outright performance.
Auto / High downforce / Streamline / Braking / Test / V-Max Boost.
Streamline Mode – creates a ‘virtual longtail’.
V-Max Boost Mode and ram induction raise T.50 output to 700PS.
Design
No unsightly vents, ducts, or flaps due to intelligent aerodynamic design.
Magnificent dihedral doors deliver drama alongside practicality for easy access.
There are engineering art features throughout the car.
Engine!!!
100% bespoke 3.9-litre V12 Cosworth GMA engine.
Power: 663PS @ 11,500rpm.
Torque: 467Nm @ 9,000rpm (71% of max torque available from 2,500rpm).
The highest-revving naturally-aspirated road car engine ever (12,100rpm).
Most-responsive naturally-aspirated engine ever (28,400 revs per second pick-up).
The most power-dense naturally-aspirated engine ever (166PS-per-litre).
The lightest road-going V12 ever = 178kg.
Transmission
Xtrac manual H-pattern six-speed transmission.
Five close ratios, geared for acceleration, with a longer sixth ratio for cruising.
Casing engineered from aluminium, cast at just 2.4mm thickness.
Lightweight gearbox weighs just 80.5kg.
Vehicle Dynamics and Weight Management
Total vehicle weight just 986kg – Almost a third lighter than a typical supercar (approx. 1,436kg). Dry weight 957kg.
Weight-to-power = 150.77kg per 100PS (typical supercar = 210kg per 100PS).
Power-to-weight = 672PS/tonne (or >700PS/tonne with V-Max Boost Mode and ram induction).
Forged aluminium double wishbone suspension, with forged aluminium uprights.
Simple rack and pinion steering setup engineered for driving purity with low-speed power assistance (LSPA).
Semi-structural engine and transmission saves weight while retaining refinement.
Lightweight bearing carriers and hubs with one locking nut reduce un-sprung mass.
Brembo calipers and carbon ceramic discs for ultimate stopping power and braking feel.
Interior / Convenience
Jet fighter-style central driving position ensures optimal visibility, balance and a totally-immersive driving experience
Driver-centric controls
Well-appointed, comfortable, refined
Premium audio sound system – 10 speakers, 700W (nominal)
Android Auto / Apple CarPlay with Bluetooth phone connectivity
Comfortable seating for three adults
Easy ingress and egress
Class-leading, usable luggage space – up to 288 litres
Refined cabin environment
120mm front and 140mm rear ride heights for practical everyday use
Incredibly compact footprint – comparable to a Porsche Boxster
Analogue rev counter and minimal controls / no column stalks or touchscreens
No turbos, no hybrid – just an exquisitely engineered V12 engine
‘GT mode’ engine map for improved day to day drivability
ABOUT PROFESSOR GORDON MURRAY FOR YOUR INFORMATION
Having spent 20 years as Technical Director to two Formula One teams from 1969-1990 Gordon Murray has a wealth of technical, design and engineering experience. At Brabham he was instrumental in two world championship wins (1981 and 1983) before three consecutive championship wins with McLaren Racing (1988, 1989 and 1990). In 1990 – after 50 Grand Prix wins, Gordon moved away from Formula One to concentrate on establishing a new company for the group, McLaren Cars Limited.
His first project there, the F1 road car, is still regarded as one of the world’s best-engineered cars. A racing version won two world sports car championships and the Le Mans 24-hour race in 1995. McLaren Cars then completed several other successful projects culminating in the Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren.
Gordon left McLaren in 2005 to set up a Gordon Murray Design Ltd (in 2007), of which he is Chairman. The innovative British company is a world leader in automotive design, and reverses the current industry trend for sub-contracting by having a complete in-house capability for design, prototyping, and development.
In 2017, Gordon Murray Design celebrated the company’s 10-year anniversary along with that of the iStream manufacturing process at a special event, named ‘One Formula’. Gordon also marked the 25th production anniversary of the McLaren F1 road car, and his 50th year of design and engineering.
In May 2019, Professor Murray was made a Commander of the British Empire (CBE) by the Duke of Cambridge, Prince William, in recognition of his contributions to the motorsport and automotive sectors over the past 50 years.