Gordon Murray Automotive (GMA) has revealed the first image of its brand new T.50 supercar, and confirmed the British firm will partner with Formula 1 outfit Racing Point to produce ‘the most advanced and most effective aerodynamics ever seen on a road car’.
Aptly, the man behind the McLaren F1 and Brabham’s eponymous BT46B ‘fan car’ states that the most significant part of the new T.50 design are the ground affect aerodynamics the supercar will employ, development of which has been done in partnership with Racing Point F1 via the Silverstone-based team’s wind tunnel.
The most prominent element is the rear-mounted, 400mm fan (wonder where the idea for that came from…) that rapidly accelerates the passage of air under the car and through the diffuser, effectively ‘sticking’ the T.50 to the ground for improved maneuverability. The fan meanwhile works in tandem with underfloor ducting, which negates the need for ground effect ‘skirts’ as used on Murray’s F1 cars during the late ‘70s and early ‘80s, and also doubles up as additional coolant for the mid-mounted V12.
Speaking of which, and unlike most of its wallet-trembling performance contemporaries, the T.50 is powered by a naturally aspirated, 3,980cc V12 developed by Cosworth, will rev to an eardrum-piercing 12,100rpm, and will be bolted to the rear of the carbon monocoque to act, effectively, as an additional stress member, akin to the Ferrari F50. Mild hybridization is provided courtesy of a 48-volt integrated starter-generator, meaning combined power will top 700bhp. That, plus 450Nm (332lb ft) of torque will be sent to the rear wheels via an Xtrac-built six-speed manual transmission.
Impressively, new innovations with carbon fibre mean the overall weight of the T.50 will be just 980kg. Combine that with three-abreast seating and central ‘jet-fighter-style’ driving position, and we’re guessing performance figures will be on the sprightly side when they’re eventually confirmed.
Just 100 examples will be made, each retailing for a whopping £2 million (roughly $2.6m USD), plus taxes. Unsurprisingly, almost all of the McLaren F1’s ‘spiritual successors’ have already been allocated, though none will be built before January 2022.
*Images courtesy of Gordon Murray Automotive
