Gordon Murray T.50 Unveiled as McLaren F1’s Spiritual Heir
Gordon Murray, who created the legendary McLaren F1 three-seat supercar and several F1 race cars including the 1978 Brabham BT46B "Fan Car," today introduced the Gordon Murray Automotive T.50, a machine that replicates the central driving position of the McLaren and the ground-effect fan of the Brabham.
Celebrating Gordon Murray’s 50 years as a designer, the T.50 will be limited to just 100 units and sold at about $4.1 million apiece.
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Styling is only matched by its performance. The 650-horsepower Cosworth V12 engine is mated to a 48V mild hybrid system for a total of 690 horsepower in the most extreme setup. The car weighs a mere 986 kilos, uses a six-speed manual gearbox and the aforementioned ground-effect fan in the rear measures 400 millimetres. With specs like these, the drive promises to be highly exhilarating.
Advanced Aeros
The T.50 was honed inside the Racing Point F1 team’s wind tunnel. Amazingly, it generates massive downforce without using any spoilers or fancy aero components normally seen on the world’s top supercars. Obviously, the fan deserves a lot of credit.
There are six different aero modes to choose from, allowing drivers to maximize either top speed, stability or cornering performance (you can reduce drag by 12.5 percent or boost downforce by 50 percent).
High-revving V12
The Cosworth-designed V12 is a true marvel of engineering with 650 horsepower and a redline at 12,100 rpm—the highest ever achieved by a road-legal car.
Tipping the scales at just 178 kilos, the engine benefits from a Ram Air intake located just above the driver. Carbon fibre panels built into the roof amplify the sound inside the cockpit depending on how much pressure you put on the throttle. As a result, the engine feels more civilized in urban driving and becomes a thundering beast when you really step on the gas.
The manual gearbox was designed by Xtrac and features tight ratios for the first five gears (to maximize performance) and a longer sixth gear ratio for lower revs at highway speeds (to improve fuel economy).
Central Driving Position
Gordon Murray’s new T.50 is the spiritual heir to the McLaren F1 with a central driving position flanked by two passenger seats. The cockpit-style interior, including the driver’s seat and pedals, will be tailored to each customer’s requirements.
The titanium pedals are magnificently detailed and finished, while the human-machine interface is devoid of large touchscreens and traditional controls. A 10-speaker, 700W audio system is included, however, along with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility.
Cargo space amounts to 288 litres. The remotely released dihedral doors make access to the cabin super easy. Closing them is no problem, either.
A forged aluminum double-wishbone suspension connects to centre-locking wheels, the latter hiding ceramic composite brakes supplied by Brembo. All of this helps reduce unsprung weight. Steering is just lightly assisted at lower speeds to preserve feedback and precision.
Overall, the fabulous T.50 from Gordon Murray Automotive departs from the digital driving experience of modern supercars and returns to the analog roots we so dearly miss. Unsurprisingly, it appears that nearly all 100 units have already been spoken for.