Meet Gordon Murray’s T.50 supercar, the car he claims improves on his McLaren F1 in “every conceivable way”.
After hinting and teasing his T.50 supercar, Gordon Murray has whipped the hanky off the thing which will begin customer deliveries in January 2022. Let’s get the price out of the way first…it’ll cost more than $4million.
But, Murray is promising the T.50 will be the purest, lightest, most driver-centric supercar ever. Essentially, he’s saying it’s a better, newer McLaren F1, if you like. “With the design of our T.50 supercar, we are taking the same focused approach that was applied to the design of the McLaren F1. Thanks to modern materials and 30 years of development, we have been able to deliver a far better all-round car in the T.50, while setting its weight at just 986kg, a full 150kg lighter than the F1.” Let’s take a closer look.
Starting with the engine because if it’s output isn’t mind blowing then the fact it’s a brand-new Cosworth 3.9-litre V12 that’ll rev to 12,100rpm is. The engine is mounted to the chassis making it semi structural; it pumps out 488kW and 467Nm of torque at 9000rpm and is mated to a six-speed manual. And to make the most of that screaming V12, the T.50 features Direct Path Induction Sound – a system pioneered on the McLaren F1 and refined on the T.50 to channel the “induction growl” into the cabin.
According to Murray, “From the first touch of the titanium throttle pedal to the V12 screaming at 12,100rpm, 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”.
The T.50 weighs just 986kg making it the lightest supercar of the modern era, according to Murray, lower than the average supercar weight by almost a third. Even the glass is thinner than most cars (28% thinner to be correct). This lightness plays to Murray’s aims for the T.50 to put control of the drive in the driver’s hands and, to that end both ESP and traction control can be disabled entirely.
The T.50 features some pretty nuts aerodynamic elements, like the fan assistance at the rear which features six aero modes. According to Murray, the 400mm fan improves the vehicle’s performance “significantly” compared with ordinary ground-effect setups. Indeed, the fan helps to increase downforce by 50% (in Braking Mode 100% more downforce is generated); reduce drag by 12.5%; and improve performance and help to reduce the braking distance. This fan-assisted aerodynamic enhancement was first used on the McLaren F1 supercar.
The design of the car has hints of being next-generation McLaren F1, Toyota MR2 (look at it properly and tell me I’m wrong) but there’s also a smattering of Porsche and even Ferrari at the back.
On the inside of the T.50, Murray said it’s “Comfortable, refined, spacious and easy to drive – not a typical description for a supercar with the capabilities, power or driver focus of the T.50. I’ve designed this car to be used every day, with almost 300 litres of luggage and storage space, a premium stereo, and excellent air conditioning. From its exceptional visibility and compact footprint to ease of ingress and egress, the T.50 rewrites the supercar rule book for usability.”
The driver sits smack in the middle of the T.50 with all of the controls and displays right in front of them. “Everything about the interior starts with the driver – the central driving position is the clearest demonstration of this approach. Building on this starting point, every control is arranged within easy reach of the driver. Purity of design was our goal, with the utmost quality applied to every element. The cabin is spacious and refined, making the T.50 exceptionally capable of traversing continents in comfort,” Murray said.
The T.50 is a technical tour de force and one you could write a book about. Only 100 of them will be built and Murray said he’s spoken with every single buyer so far and will hand over the keys personally when the vehicles start being built in 2022.
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