GORDON Murray, the engineering genius behind the McLaren F1 and numerous championship-winning Formula One cars, has launched what he promises will be "the purest, lightest, most driver-centric supercar ever".
Called the T.50 - the car is the 50th design of Murray's 50-year career - it costs £2.36 million (before taxes...); nonetheless, the production run of 100 sold out in within 48 hours of going on sale.
Murray is also making 25 even more extreme racing examples, with extra power, added downforce and a steeper £3.1m pre-tax price tag.
When it debuted in 1992, the McLaren F1 completely redefined the parameters of how a road car could perform. With that pedigree, the T.50, which comes from the Gordon Murray Automotive company, is expected to mark another quantum leap.
- The T.50 weighs just 986kg. That's the same as something like a Suzuki Swift and significantly lighter than any other supercar. The chassis and body is made from high-grade carbon fibre, naturally. The car's footprint is about the same as a Porsche Boxster. The racing model is just 890kg.
- The engine is a bespoke 3.9-litre 654bhp V12 that revs to a record-breaking 12,100rpm. The titanium throttle pedal is "feather-light". Murray says an engine contributes to "at least 50 per cent" of a great driving experience, and tasked Cosworth to create "the greatest ever V12". It's the most responsive naturally-aspirated engine ever - it picks up 28,400 revs per second... - and weighs just 178kg. The racing version makes 720bhp.
- Forget double-clutch automatic gearboxes and the like - Murray has given the T.50 a six-speed manual transmission, with five close ratios geared for acceleration and a sixth for cruising.
- The T.50 has the most advanced and effective aerodynamics ever seen on a road car, aided by a 40cm rear-mounted fan - an idea Murray used in Formula One in the 1970s. In partnership with the active rear spoilers and interactive diffusers, the fan helps to increase downforce by 50 per cent - in 'braking mode' 100 per cent more downforce is generated - reduce drag by 12.5 per cent; add around 49bhp to the car's output, in combination with ram-air induction; and cut braking distance by 10 metres from 150mph. The racing version generates more than 1,500kg of downforce - 170 per cent more than its weight.
- As with the McLaren F1, the T.50 driver sits in the centre of the car, flanked by a passenger seat on each side. There's "good luggage space" and Murray insists the car is refined and practical enough to be used every day.
- Production is due to start in January 2022.
