Watch Gordon Murray's sign-off drive of the T.50 supercar
Gordon Murray Automotive's T.50 is ready for delivery, nearly four years after the V-12 supercar was unveiled.
The final stage of development was a sign-off drive by founder Gordon Murray; GMA has released a video featuring Murray during the sign-off drive, and his emotion suggests that the T.50 will be the first of Murray's other supercars on the market, and perhaps the last V-12 supercar, the McLaren F1, it is clear that it can compete.
Murray calls the T.50 the true successor to the F1. Common features include a center driving position, lightweight carbon fiber tubing, a high-revving V12 engine (up to 12,100 rpm), and a six-speed manual transmission. The two cars also have similar styling.
"This really is the next F1, and that was my intention," Murray said after the drive. 'The T.50 had to offer everything Formula 1 had to offer.'
What makes the T.50 unique is the rear, where there is a large fan. The fan was used to alter the aerodynamics of the car, and its addition saved Murray from having to fit a huge wing and spoiler; Niki Lauda famously drove a Brabham BT46B "fan car" to victory in the 1978 F1 Swedish Grand Prix
and the T.50 was also used to change the aerodynamics of the car.
Murray drove a pre-production unit for the sign-off drive, but production of the customer car began in early March at GMA's facility in Dunsfold, England, near the Dunsfold airfield, the test track for Top Gear. Only 100 cars will be built, along with 25 of the track-focused T.50s Niki Lauda Edition, and the production slots for both cars are all gone.
GMA has already announced a follow-up model, the T.33 supercar, which also has a production quota of 100 units all gone; the T.50 must be brought to the US under show-and-display regulations, while the T.33 is fully certified for this market. 33 production is expected to begin in 2024.
GMA has plans for more supercars, but they will feature electrification. The company has also confirmed plans for an electric SUV.
