After years of teases, rumors, and speculation. The Gordon Murray T.50 has finally arrived, but can the T.50 be the spiritual successor to the McLaren F1 that Gordon Murray Automotive founder Gordon Murray claims it will be when it makes its way to production?
The exterior styling is certainly off to a good start, with the basic profile bearing an uncanny resemblance to the F1 (the last major car penned by Gordon Murray.) The front fascia in particular generates alot of this vibe, with its low slung nose, smoothed out styling, and carefully placed narrow inlets in the corners. An expansive rounded windshield creates a dominating view of the road ahead, while large windows in the doors and clear panels in the roof helps create an open airy greenhouse. a small scoop in the roof helps channel air to the engine, while the clear portions of the gullwing opening rear panel give owners a small peek at the inboard suspension system. Both the chassis and the body itself are made out of pure carbon fiber, and that helps create a rigid underpinning that is very light. Gordon Murray Automotive claims that the chassis and the body panels all weigh in at less than 331 lbs which is very impressive for a supercar.
But the most fascinating feature is found at the rear of the T.50 where a rear mounted fan is located. This fan spins at up to 7,000 rpm and gets its power from a 48 volt electric motor. The fan works together with the active rear spoilers and diffusers to help increase downforce by 50 percent in spirited driving, and up to 100 percent when braking. The novel system also works as a ram air induction system for the engine, with the extra air flow helping to free 49 extra horsepower from the engine.
On that note, the engine is perhaps the real showstopper here, with the T.50 getting its mojo from a 3.9 liter V12 which was developed in a partnership between Gordon Murray automotive and legendary British performance tuner Cosworth. Neither company released formal horsepower figures, but Gordon Murray Automotive did reveal that the engine not only has a lofty 12,100 revs, but it’s also the lightest road going V12 ever created thanks to its 392 lb weight. The engine is mated to a six speed manual gearbox, with the company claiming that it made sure to pay special attention to the transmission during its development phase to help create a light and crisp feeling when shifting through the gears.
The cabin also steals a few pages from the F1 when it comes to seating arraignments, with the driver sitting in a central position on a orange hued leather seat. the cabin is capable of holding up to two other passengers, but unlike the driver, they are treated to nothing more than a shallow Alcantara lined depression that features a non adjustable headrest, as well as accommodations for seatbelts. The pedals also get in on the act, and are made out of durable titanium. The rest of the interior is very spartan, with the essential controls mounted on pods on either side of the steering wheel.
The performance here is even more impressive when you consider the compact blueprint of the T.50, with the model itself being an inch shorter than the Porsche 718 Cayman (172.4 inches for those that are curious.) Gordon Murray Automotive plans to only build 50 examples of the T.50 with each one going for a base sticker of $3.08 million when current exchange rates are applied. Production of the T.50 will begin in January of 2022, with the first units making their way to well heeled customers later that year.
Carl Malek has been an automotive journalist for over 10 years. First starting out as a freelance photographer before making the transition to writing during college, his work has appeared on numerous automotive forums as well as websites such as Autoshopper.com.
Carl is also a big fan of British vehicles with the bulk of his devotion going to the Morgan Motor Company as well as offerings from Lotus, MG, and Caterham. When he is not writing about automobiles, Carl enjoys spending time with his family and friends in the Metro Detroit area, as well as spending time with his adorable pets.