The 720bhp, Track-Only Gordon Murray Automotive T.50s Weighs Just 890kg
Not content with building what will surely become the ultimate road car - the GMA T.50 - Gordon Murray is busy prepping the best track toy the world has ever seen. Based on the McLaren F1-succeeding T.50, it’s called the T.50s, and how’s this for a headline stat - it’ll weigh on 890kg.
Thanks largely to the stripping back of the interior, it’s nearly 100kg lighter than the already lithe T.50. Its naturally-aspirated, Cosworth-built V12 has more power to boot. Factoring in the ram-air effect, you’re looking at 720bhp, up from 700bhp in the road car.
A key part of the T.50’s design, Murray is keen to point out, is the lack of aero devices protruding from the body, made possible with a greater reliance on underbody aero plus that wild Brabham BT46-style fan. The track car, however, gets a huge 1758mm-wide delta wing. Also, the fan runs in ‘High Downforce’ mode permanently.
Thanks to this giant aero piece, the new front splitter and a redesigned rear diffuser, the T.50s is able to generate a whopping 1500kg of downforce. In addition, it can also achieve a face-destroying 2.5 to 3G of braking forces.
Another feature you won’t find on the road car is a Le Mans prototype-style central fin which increases stability, the installation of which required shifting the oil cooling systems to the outer edges of the car. The T.50s rides 30mm lower on magnesium wheels wrapped in off-the-shelf Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2s, due to “Murray’s philosophy that even supercars don’t need totally bespoke rubber,” GMA says. There’s no manual gearbox here, with the road car’s transmission swapped for a six-speed sequential racing ‘box.
The price (not including taxes) is £3.1 million, compared to £2.36 for the road car. Only 25 will be made, and since the 100 build slots for the T.50 sold out within 48 hours of the reveal, we should think all of those will be spoken for very shortly.
Growing up on a diet of World Rally Championship highlights and lengthy Gran Turismo 2 sessions, a life in cars was as good as inevitable for Matt.
Comments
Okay this is how you do a track version the right way! way to go Gordon Murray Automotive!
Surprised that a car with such an extreme focus on being lightweight doesnt use carbon fiber wheels.
I guess they are using advanced alloys and stuff to make the rims so its more cost effective and also carbon rims take time to make and with the rims they are using its faster to get them made
Carbon fibre may be less dense, but by virtue of being a fibre in medium composite it’s properties change based on the direction they are loaded in. When loaded ALONG the fibres, it has great tensile strength but poor compressive strength. When loaded ACROSS the fibres, it has poor compressive strength and poor tensile strength.
In short, half of the time the carbon fibre will be loaded in a direction that it is weak in. Add to that the fact that this car has enormous downforce for a road car and you have a combination that may lead to a wheel failing spectacularly at high speed.
Basically this is why all (that I can think of) high downforce vehicles use metal based wheels, rather than carbon fibre. Heck, most auto manufactures avoid carbon fibre in any parts that can be loaded in different directions
Watch the video with Harry’s Garage, they talk about that at some point. He say’s the weight difference is not that important, plus aluminium is way less fragile
Carbon wheels can crack easily and can fail. There’s. Few videos with Gordon talking about why he woul never use carbon wheels