The Gordon Murray Automotive T.50 aims to be the successor to the McLaren F1

There are engineers, designers, CEOs… who leave their mark on the industry forever through their proposals, actions or creations, and one of them is Gordon Murray with his supercars

The list of cars on which Gordon Murray has applied his knowledge is so impressive that we don’t hesitate to say that this English engineer is one of the most relevant figures in the history of motoring, both in production and in competition.

From street vehicles to Formula 1 single-seaters have been conceived, and Murray has a well-recognised paternity over them; but if a single piece had to be pointed out for which the South African-born designer could be remembered, it would be the McLaren F1.

But, like any good thinker, the concerns of the Commander (of the Order) of the British Empire have gone beyond the limits of the companies he has worked for and, for more than 10 years now, since 2007 he has been working for himself, among other companies, through his own studio Gordon Murray Design.

Over the last few months, Murray himself has offered glimpses of his next car, a vehicle that will be manufactured using his own innovative car-making formula and through his own firm, Gordon Murray Automotive, which will embody his masterpiece and, who knows, perhaps his last creation, with everything that this entails.

That supercar already has a name, Gordon Murray Automotive T.50

The birth of the Gordon Murray Automotive T.50

Gordon Murray’s premise for the T.50 is clear: to build the spiritual successor to the McLaren F1. To do so, it rests on three pillars: structural lightness, aerodynamic engineering and mechanical engineering. Its inspiration comes from Murray’s experience in Formula 1 and the 50 years he has lived in it, hence the name of the car.

Its aim is not to break speed or acceleration records, but to “offer the purest and most rewarding driving experience that no other supercar has ever offered, without giving up speed”.

The whole will be based on the new iSTREAM superlight architecture, a revolutionary reformulation of the way cars are conceived and built around a lightweight carbon-fibre chassis, a project Murray has been working on for years and which will finally put a car of his own on the road: a 200 kg monocoque chassis that will be the seed from which an unrivalled British sports car will sprout.

And if Murray is proud of anything, it is that his car is an example of what his country’s engineering is capable of. To that end, besides manufacturing most of the components, the suppliers of other elements such as the gearbox and the engine of the T.50 will display the “Made in Britain” manufacturing origin on their nameplates.

100 percent British technology

For the transmission, the Gordon Murray Automotive T.50 will use the specialist Xtrac, a manufacturer that has also left its mark in competition. The same goes for the engine, built by Cosworth.

The Xtrac gearbox of the Gordon Murray Automotive T.50 will have six speeds and automatic or semi-automatic dual-clutch management.

For its part, if the original mechanical heart of the BMW of the McLaren F1 was one of the keys to its success, the Cosworth engine of the Gordon Murray Automotive T.50 will be no less. In fact, they share some specifications: both have 12 cylinders in a V configuration, naturally aspirated, with similar displacement (3,980 cc for the newer one), a maximum rev limit of 12,100 rpm, and a power output of just over 655 CV and a maximum torque of 450 Nm.

The weight of the Gordon Murray Automotive T.50 is set at an impressive 980 kg, which gives a power-to-weight ratio of 670 CV/tonne.

A weight that does not include a maximum of three occupants, one of whom, the driver, sits in the central position as the McLaren F1 showed and the McLaren Speedtail recovered. It will also offer storage space or a boot for carrying luggage. Which shows that the Gordon Murray Automotive T.50 will be an everyday supercar.

An exclusive supercar for everyday use

A vehicle for all purposes whose premise is to offer the best driving and usability experience, but at the same time an exclusive experience: on the one hand, only 100 units will be built and, on the other, the price of the Gordon Murray Automotive T.50 will be set at 2 million euros, taxes not included, and the first units will begin to be delivered in 2022.

But beyond the text on which we have placed as much emphasis and enthusiasm in this car, from which we can only expect the best, Gordon Murray himself sets out everything that the T.50 means to him.

https://youtu.be/CLlg7cYAiCM