What's the news?
As bolts out of the blue go, this one is tremendous - but Gordon Murray, the genius who devised the magnificent McLaren F1, has come up with another quite astonishing car. It's called the T.50, a rather prosaic name for what promises to be the 'purest, lightest, most driver-focused supercar ever built'. So let's get down to its business, shall we?
Exterior
The T.50 is the work of Gordon Murray Automotive (GMA), a sister company to Prof. Murray's other concern Gordon Murray Design (GMD), although it should be pointed out that GMD did all the engineering, design and styling, while GMA will do the building of the T.50s at a purpose-built new facility in Surrey, UK.
As we cannot (as yet) see anything of its design, other than the generic shape of the technical drawing which has been released by GMA, it's perhaps worth talking about its weight. Or, more accurately, its lack thereof. Murray is particularly adamant about this bit: "Automotive enthusiasts and road-test editors have discussed the concept of 'peak supercar' for some time. The reality of chasing top speeds only adds weight, notably through ever-more powerful engines, which increase the requirement for larger, heavier ancillaries. We are taking a very different approach."
To this end, there's a 'fastidious commitment' to minimising mass in every single component of the car. To that end, it will make sophisticated use of advanced carbon-fibre engineering and the target weight is a barely believable 980kg - that's basically the same as the Suzuki Swift Sport and around 33 per cent lighter than the average current supercar. With no exact word on proportions, Murray and his team are keen to stress that the T.50 will have a smaller road footprint than a Porsche 911; which means less than 4,380mm long and 1,850mm wide. That's positively tiny.
After the T.50's scanty weight, the other main thing to note is the aerodynamics. Murray is a fan of keeping the upper surfaces of the car 'pure and beautiful', a trick which worked on the Macca F1, and his forthcoming GMA supercar goes the same way. This is because it is fitted with a 400mm fan at the rear, which actively controls underbody airflow and which can suck the car down to the ground, just as on his Brabham BT46B 'fan car' F1 machine of 1978. GMA and GMD have also established a new technical partnership with an as-yet unnamed F1 team (although our money is on McLaren, for somewhat obvious reasons...), which will make its rolling-road wind tunnel available to develop the T.50's aerodynamics further. Thus, while we don't know much about its styling as yet, we do know that the GMA T.50 will be bereft of what Murray deems 'unsightly wings, outlets, vents and bulges' on the bodywork. It will, however, have dihedral doors, just like the old F1 road car and modern McLarens.
Interior
Just 100 lucky owners will get to sit in a T.50 - that name, incidentally, coming from the fact that every race or road car Murray has penned in his life has featured a 'T' designation and this will be the 50th such machine in that illustrious line - and each of these people will sit, once again, centrally in a three-seat cabin. Yes, this is the same 'jet-fighter-style' layout as the F1. There's also said to be 'ample dedicated space' for luggage, as well as a set of analogue instruments and driver-centric controls.
Mechanicals
The news around this machine just gets better and better and better, the more you read. The T.50 will be powered by a naturally aspirated, all-new, 3.9-litre V12 engine that has been built bespoke by Cosworth Powertrain. It will deliver 650hp as normal (that means 663hp-per-tonne) and it'll rev to a quite ridiculous 12,100rpm, too, but don't go expecting it to be the fastest vehicle in the world, as Murray says that is not what this is about: "I have absolutely no interest in chasing records for top speed or acceleration. Our focus is instead on delivering the purest, most rewarding driving experience of any supercar ever built - but, rest assured, it will be quick."
Behind that 650hp is what looks like a mere 450Nm of torque, which isn't a great deal for a V12, but then the V12 Cosworth GMA delivers more horsepower from its 3.9 litres than the McLaren F1 managed from 6.1 litres of BMW 12-cylinder know-how. Quite incredibly, a roof-fed ram-air induction system will increase the output to around 700hp, although whether this is a time-limited feature or not remains to be seen.
Bruce Wood, the managing director for Cosworth Powertrain, said: "We are tremendously excited to be part of the T.50 supercar project and to have the opportunity to work alongside GMA. It is a real privilege to play such a key role in the T.50 with an all-new V12 3.9-litre engine, designed, developed, manufactured and assembled by Cosworth's industry-leading powertrain division. Developing an engine that delivers superlative performance, while meeting stringent emissions targets, is a challenge that demonstrates Cosworth's unique capabilities."
The V12's power and torque is sent to the rear wheels via a bespoke six-speed transmission developed by British outfit Xtrac, and it's a proper H-pattern manual; no twin-clutch nonsense here. The brakes feature monobloc alloy callipers and 'new technology' carbon-ceramic discs.
"Just as with the F1, we have no specific targets for acceleration, top speed or lap times," Murray added. "The F1 was fast because it was light and relatively small. The T.50 will deliver performance and dynamic characteristics simply out of reach for other supercars, not least because of its low weight. Once again, I have focused on the complete driving experience, not horsepower or top speed."
Anything else?
Deliveries of the T.50 will commence in early 2022. And don't go getting excited - each one will cost more than €2.26 million, and that's excluding any and all local taxes. We're already jealous of those who've got their orders in, to be honest.
Let's leave the final words on this amazing creation to the man behind it all. Prof. Murray said: "An unflinching dedication to light weight, highly-advanced active aerodynamics and world-leading standards of advanced engineering will ensure the T.50 rewrites the supercar rulebook. Our experienced team is applying the same uncompromising approach to design and engineering that shaped every facet of the F1, and they are able to deliver substantial improvements over that car in every meaningful way.
"By working with the team at Cosworth Powertrain, we have created the greatest naturally-aspirated engine ever designed for the road. It is the highest revving, highest power density, lightest and fastest-responding naturally-aspirated V12 ever made for a road car.
"I designed the F1 as a sort of super-GT car - absolutely road-focused with no plan to go racing, which is why the car set new standards for packaging and luggage space. The T.50 design has the same focus and betters the F1 in every area: ingress and egress; luggage capacity; serviceability; maintenance; and suspension set-up. Also, driver-selectable engine maps ensure a driving mode to suit every situation."
Goodness gracious us!