Gordon Murray is a name that comes up the moment we start talking about great supercars and sports cars as well. Moreover, he is the person behind the still legendary McLaren F1 as well. Having served as a prominent designer for Formula 1 cars, Murray went on to set up his own brand and team, Gordon Murray Automotive, and the T.50 is the latest example from the brand.
Published February 13, 2024
The GMA T.50 is the latest or an upcoming supercar put together exclusively by none other than Gordon Murray and his team. After serving as an F1 designer for several years, Murray set up his own brand GMA back in 2017. The McLaren F1 is still considered one of the best supercars ever created and the T.50 is all set to become the F1’s spiritual successor. With an uncanny resemblance between the front-end design and the three-seat configuration, the T.50 will take you as close as possible to the F1. Along with a heavily aerodynamic design, the car also received some cutting-edge and advanced active aero systems that were previously pure Formula 1 tech.
Murray resorted to Cosworth for the T.50’s powertrain. The unit is a 3.9-liter V12 that makes 654 hp of power along with 344 lb-ft of torque. Well, those are for the “regular” model while the special limited edition T.50s Niki Lauda model sees the numbers bumped up to 700 hp and 645 lb-ft! And that’s not all. The motor revs up to an insane 12,100 rpm! We can only imagine the V12 symphony while the car will be driven hard.
While we might doubt or have questions regarding the aerodynamics of any other supercar, with the T.50, we shouldn’t. Because it is carefully curated by Gordon Murray himself, the F1 design legend. With the T.50, he implemented a clever yet brilliant active aerodynamic system in the form of an electric fan. Placed at the rear of the T.50, the fan can be operated at varying speeds according to the driving mode selected. With that, the varying speeds of the fan alter the amount of downforce required. The requirement for massive aero wings and flaps is eliminated as well.
Being a speed machine built by Murray himself, the T.50 gets plenty of attention to detail to boast of. Right from the tactile and solid feel of the switchgear and the rotary dials everything is designed to be in perfect harmony with the driver at all times while driving. Even the exhaust note as well as the intake sounds are tuned to give both the driver and the occupants the very best of a V12 experience while inside the car.
Budget constraints while developing a new performance car, especially by an auto giant aren’t unheard of. However, Murray went all-out for the T.50. He did not focus on the car’s final price and just wanted to develop it with the best possible parts and engineering.
After the McLaren F1 came out, its three-seat configuration made everyone’s jaw drop. And it proved to be practical too. Being a spiritual successor, the T.50 gets the same layout with the driver taking the center position.
All the sports cars, supercars, and hypercars out there arrive with blazingly fast-shifting automatics. And it has become a norm too. However, not the T.50 here. Murray went ahead with a 6-speed manual gearbox to keep driving as engaging as possible. Long live the manuals!
Just like the McLaren F1, the T.50 is surprisingly practical for a supercar. Adequate storage space for all three occupants inside the car means that you can take it on those quick trio trips you’ve been planning for a long time.
Yes, we mentioned it several times before. And yet here we are, talking about it dedicatedly. Murray did express his disappointments with the McLaren F1, especially the flaws that were inevitable due to the limitation of technological advancements and construction processes. With the T.50, he did eliminate almost all the shortcomings of the F1.
With an unhindered development budget, it is quite expected that the T.50 isn't going to be cheap. And it isn’t, either. With a base price of a staggering $3 million, you need to shell out a significant fortune to get your hands on the limited-production masterpiece.
Murray was always a nerd when it came to building lightweight cars. And he proved it once again with the T.50. The car’s weight has been kept as minimal as possible and it weighs just over 2,160 lbs. This was made possible with lightweight body panels, aluminum driving pedals, and a compact motor.
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