Gordon Murray Automotive, McLaren F1 designer Gordon Murray’s company, has unveiled its first supercar: the T.50. A delicious V12 monster, with clearly the genes of the McLaren F1.
Gordon Murray has unleashed his expertise on other facets of the automotive industry after designing the record-breaking McLaren F1, but F1 has of course never left his mind. Under his own name, the South African now also brings a car that in a way can be seen as the contemporary equivalent of F1. The T.50 baptized supercar is not only reminiscent of the F1 in terms of appearance, because we also see a familiar concept inside. As was the case with F1, the T.50 has largely winged carbon fiber wing doors. They provide access to an interior with a special arrangement. There are three seats, with the driver’s seat further forward in the middle. How did we know that again?
The heart
Those who start the engine will no doubt be shocked. A whopping 663 hp and 467 Nm strong 3.9-liter V12 then comes to life behind you. That engine was developed by Cosworth, in close collaboration with Gordon Murray himself. The goal was to make a V12 that pushes the boundaries in almost all areas. That worked out quite well. At 178 kilos, it is the lightest V12 for road use ever, according to GMA. The engine pulls up to a whopping 12,100 rpm before the rev limiter hits it. If the engine is running at idle speed, the limiter is already needed after a tap of the accelerator pedal after 0.3 seconds. That is reminiscent of the V12s from Formula 1 cars at the time of the McLaren F1. At 2,500 rpm, 71 percent of the power is already available, according to GMA. At 11,500 rpm, the full 663 hp is taken out. It all gets a bit more fun when you consider that there are no shift paddles in the T.50. No, here you just have to get started with a manual six-speed gearbox. It sends all the violence to the rear wheels.
In order for the monster to properly transfer its power to the road, Murray has again put his innovative side to the test. We see a kind of fan on the back of the T.50. It sucks in the wind, making it pull over the carriage even faster. This must of course provide additional downforce. Again something reminiscent of Formula 1; The 1978 Brabham-Alfa Romeo BT46B, which was also designed by Murray, worked with a similar rear fan to achieve this goal. Add to this the fact that the T.50 only weighs 986 kilos and you can imagine that if you give the T.50 the tracks it should be quite agile and rap. Unfortunately, GMA is not yet able to report precise performance figures.
Driving modes
Different driving modes should help the driver prepare the T.50 for the desired force. In ‘Auto Mode’ you just drive the car as it normally is, so with passive aerodynamics. Braking Mode automatically ensures that the rear spoilers are at their maximum angle (45 degrees) to bring the T.50 to a standstill quickly. In ‘High Downforce Mode’ the spoilers are tilted 10 degrees more than usual and the fan starts working at half power. Ideal for tougher cornering. In ‘Streamline Mode’, the spoilers will again be flatter than normal and the fan will go to its maximum position, just better if you go for high speeds in particular. Then there is also the ‘V-Max Boost’. That is the most extreme mode. The car goes into ‘Streamline Mode’, but the fan is not powered from the engine but from a separate 48V battery. This ensures, in combination with temporary extra air supply in the engine, that the T.50 temporarily draws 700 hp from the V12.
Incidentally, according to GMA, the T.50 is also ‘quieter’ to drive if you switch on the ‘GT Mode’. With that, the car should also be able to be used for a nice tour. The rev limiter then shoots at 9,500 rpm and the maximum power then comes to 600 hp. You can even take a lot of luggage with you: a total of 288 liters can be used. At the front, the car is 12 centimeters above the ground and at the rear also 12 centimeters, so the nose is not the first threshold.
The price
Although this actually only mentions the most striking things of the T.50, it is already clear that this is a special creation. That may of course cost something, especially when you consider that only 100 are made. The T.50 will be available from £ 2.36 million, or more than € 2.6 million. You can also have the car adjusted to your own wishes for that money. In this way, the driver’s seat can be completely customized in terms of seat and position of the pedals and you meet the man behind the car. A little more patience: GMA will start building the T.50 in January 2022.