Last month, Prof. Gordon Murray unveiled his newest creation to the world – the T.50. A lightweight supercar with a manual gearbox, central driving position and a screaming V12. We still haven’t seen it in action but it is mighty impressive in every way. Given Murray’s reputation, the motoring world knows to take the T.50’s various details and stats very seriously. We knew there was going to be a small run of track-focused versions as well and here’s the first sketch of it – codename T.50s.
While the T.50 was meant to be a usable supercar, the T.50s has no need for daily comforts. So, it’s lighter, faster and even more powerful. This track-weapon weighs only 890kg and its naturally-aspirated Cosworth V12 now produces 700PS of power. With the ram-air induction system, peak power goes up to 730PS. While the skeleton is the same as the roadcar T.50, this track-focused version has been heavily redesigned to achieve that 93kg weightloss. Its V12 will be mated to an all-new 6-speed paddle-shift IGS pre-selector gearchange system with new drive ratios optimised for speed.
Let’s talk about the aero…at the least the little bit we’ve been told of. While the road car uses the ground effect thanks to a clever fan-based aero with active rear flaps, the T.50s gets something more conventional – a big wing. This time it’s a 1,758mm-wide rear-mounted delta-wing. Its design is said to echo that of the front wing of the 1983 Brabham BT52 F1 car, also made by Murray. The T.50s also gets a race-spec aero fin that runs from the roof to the rear lip of the car. It improves cornering efficiency and stability, as well as cleaning and channelling the air over the body and towards the delta wing. Gordon Murray Automotive states that the aero package allows the T.50s to generate up to 3G under braking.
More differences from the road car include a new ground effect underbody aerofoil, adjustable diffusers, a front splitter and the 400mm fan can generate more than 1,500kg of downforce. As a race car, it is always in high-downforce mode with the underbody diffuser ducts open and the fan is permanently running at 7,000rpm. It has the same Brembo carbon-ceramic brakes as the road-going T.50 but with improved cooling thanks to new ducting around each wheel. The T.50s rides 40mm lower than the T.50 on forged aluminium wheels wearing Michelin Cup Sport 2 tyres.
Inside the cabin, the T.50s will be completely stripped out with the new carbon fibre driver’s racing seat, still in the middle. It’ll get the option of one passenger seat to the left of the driver and will be devoid of the roadcar’s comforts like air-con, storage and carpets. The steering wheel will have an F1-style rectangle design but without the clutter of controls. Instead, Murray only left the essentials like traction and launch control, selecting neutral and activating the pit-lane intercom. The roadcar’s instrumentation has been replaced by track-centric displays that can show relevant performance-focused information such as lap time, vehicle-engine data and G-forces.
Each of the 25 units of the T.50s will be highly personalised but not just in terms of appearance. The ‘Trackspeed’ individualisation package aims to deliver a personalised racing experience, including a broad spectrum of adjustments to the car’ setup, training, racing and support. Owners can fine-tune the suspension, chassis balance and adjust the delta wing to optimise the car’s performance to suit their driving style.
Murray: “I’d like to organise a series of racing events as part of our Trackspeed package to ensure the T.50sis driven regularly by owners. There will be nothing like the experience of driving this car. And hearing it… well, that will be something else!I’d like each of the 25 cars to be completely unique from set-up to paint finish.”
Gordon Murray Automotive will announce the official name of the T.50s later this year, likely with its first full reveal to follow suit. All 100 units of the roadgoing T.50 have been sold more than half of the T.50s units have been spoken for. Deliveries are quite a while away as GMA says it will start building the £3.1 million (plus taxes) race car in the first quarter of 2023, after completing most of the T.50 orders in 2022.
I’m excited to see the full T.50s and its various aero components at the unveiling. This is a very rare, very special racecar built by a man who has decades worth of experience in building F1 cars. Reminds us of the Aston Martin Valkyrie in some ways, except that Prof. Murray won’t have to deal with all sorts of committee to build the car exactly as he wants it. Can’t wait for some of the top automotive publications to organise a comparison between the F1 GTR and the T.50s in a couple of years, hopefully sooner.
What do you make of the T.50s? Which other modern-day, track-only hypercar would you rather have instead? Share your thoughts in the comments below and don’t forget to subscribe to the Auto Loons for more cool updates from the car world.
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