- Full exterior and interior reflect design purity and attention to detail
- The 3.9-litre V12 is the world’s lightest, highest-revving, most power-dense naturally-aspirated road car engine
Gordon Murray Automotive has unveiled its £2.36 million (before taxes) T.50 supercar globally in full for the first time, showing the finished exterior and interior design and confirming its technical specifications.
Improving on his acclaimed McLaren F1 “in every conceivable way”, Professor Gordon Murray CBE is leading the team that will begin building customer versions of the 986 kg supercar in January 2022. Murray’s design for the T.50 is the 50th in a line of race and road cars that he has penned over his 50-year career – both reasons combining to name the car T.50.
The T.50 has been engineered to be the purest, lightest, most driver-centric supercar ever. Its curb weight* of 986 kg is lower than the average supercar weight by almost a third. Thanks to the focus on light weighting, the car offers unparallelled levels of agility, responsiveness and driver focus.
The T.50 is a car that is created to be ‘alive’ at normal road speeds, not only when the revs climb past 10,000 rpm. It is powered by a 100% bespoke 3.9-litre, 663PS V12 engine that revs to 12,100 rpm, and features the most advanced and effective aerodynamics ever seen on a road car – aided by a 400 mm rear-mounted fan.
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| Source: Gordon Murray Automotive. The T.50 premieres globally. |
The most dominant characteristics of the T.50 exterior design are its simple, beautiful lines and a timeless appearance. It is free from the wings, skirts and vents that can be found on most modern-day supercars. The clean surfaces are enabled by the most advanced and effective aerodynamics ever seen on a road car.
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 clear, from the central, jet fighter-like driving position, to the aerospace-grade primary and secondary controls arranged in an ‘ergonomic bubble’ around the driver.
With a vision that the car, and every element of its componentry, would be considered ‘engineering art’, Professor Murray set out to create a vehicle that surpassed all others, fostering new levels of pride and connection among owners. British suppliers are responsible for every major component throughout the interior, as well as every facet of the car’s underpinnings – an attribute insisted upon by Murray who was determined that the T.50 would be a true British sports car.
From the record-breaking V12 engine and best lightweight transmission, to the world-first aerodynamic package and the titanium throttle pedal, every ingenious element is 100% bespoke and crafted to the highest quality by a British company that leads in its field.
Every T.50 customer has the opportunity to meet Professor 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.
Said Professor Murray: “Just 100 customers will share my vision, a car created to improve on the F1 formula in every conceivable way. With 30 years of technological and systems advancement, now, the time is right to design the greatest analogue driver’s car. I believe no other company could deliver what we will bring to market in 2022, producing this British supercar will be my proudest moment.”
“From the first touch of the titanium throttle pedal to the V12 screaming at 12,100 rpm, the driver experience will surpass any supercar ever built. No other road car can deliver the package of power, instant responsiveness and driver feedback in such a direct and focused way while remaining comfortable, refined and usable every day,” he said.
The ultimate, sensory-rich driving experience starts with the central driving position. The ‘jet-fighter’ style seating position affords an unhindered view out of the cabin, offering the type of pure driving experience usually associated with a single-seater race car layout.
Professor Murray believes that the engine contributes to at least 50% of a great driving experience. With this in mind, Murray set out to create the greatest ever V12. Murray detests carbon or plastic engine covers so, upon raising the twin gullwing openings that span the rear half of the car, the bespoke Cosworth GMA V12 engine sits proudly on display with its cam covers, primary exhaust manifolds and inlet trumpets all taking centre stage.
The Cosworth GMA unit hits the mark as the world’s highest revving, fastest-responding, most power-dense, and lightest road-going V12. In terms of aural enjoyment, the T.50's 12,100 rpm redline will definitely deliver on the wow factor. The car also features Direct Path Induction Sound – a system pioneered on the McLaren F1 and refined on the T.50 to channel the sound of the throttle-induced induction growl into the cabin.
A cold-air ram induction intake sits immediately above the driver’s head, and carefully crafted carbon fibre panels in the roof act as a loudspeaker, amplifying engine sound within the cabin. The system is actuated by throttle angle and not revs, so the T.50 is quiet and refined on part-throttle, growing louder as the throttle opens.
Inside the cabin, all of the T.50’s ergonomically-placed analogue controls are beautifully designed. From communicative steering, which delivers pinpoint accuracy, to the weighting of the six-speed manual transmission and titanium throttle pedal, the engineering focus has always been on perfection. During testing, the manual H-pattern gear-change motion and weighting was honed meticulously. Signed-off personally by Professor Murray, the T.50 provides ‘the ultimate gear-change’ – a tactile short throw with a narrow cross gate for smooth, crisp, satisfying gear-changes.
With minimal interference from driver aids, the driving experience is left to shine – importantly, electric stability programme (ESP) and traction control can be disabled entirely. The technologies that do influence performance – for example, the six aero modes enabled through active and interactive fan-assisted aerodynamics – enhance the drive experience.
The 400 mm rear-mounted fan expands the car’s performance capabilities significantly versus an ordinary ground-effect supercar. In partnership with the active rear spoilers and interactive diffusers, the fan helps to increase downforce by 50% (in Braking Mode 100% more downforce is generated); reduce drag by 12.5%; add around 50 Pferdestrke (PS) to the car’s output, in combination with ram-air induction; and cut braking distance by 16 km from 241.4 km/h.
Professor Murray commented that he is "100% happy" with the car. He said: “For the past 18 months, the T.50 team has lived and breathed the ethos of the car, accomplishing everything we set out to achieve and more. I couldn’t be happier with the car and the team – they’re by far the best I’ve ever worked with.”
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Watch the launch video
*Curb weight is the weight of a car without passengers or any cargo inside.
