The Gordon Murray T.50's N/A V12 Sounds Incredible, And This Isn't Even Its Final Form

A few months ago, we watched a three-cylinder test mule for the Gordon Murray Automotive T.50’s V12 rev its little heart out on the bench. Now, GMA has released footage of the whole 3.9-litre, Cosworth-built engine on the dyno, and it sounds incredible.

But here’s the brilliantly ridiculous thing - what you can see here is only two-thirds of its capability. The naturally-aspirated engine stops at 8000rpm, but eventually, it’ll be able to go all the way to 12,100rpm.

You will need to rev it to get the most out of the thing, too - peak power of 654bhp arrives at 11,500rpm, while peak torque of 345lb ft is felt at 9000rpm. For comparison, the Aston Martin Valkyrie - which also uses a Cosworth-built N/A V12 screamer - develops its full power output of 1000bhp at 10,500rpm, and is capped at 11,100rpm.

The T.50’s V12 will also be able to spin up to those heady five-figure RPM heights awfully quickly. It’s capable of 28,400 revs per second, compared to around 10,000 from the S70/2 BMW engine used by the T.50’s spiritual predecessor, the McLaren F1. Once you reach that lofty rev-limiter, changing gear will be done so will be done in the same manner as the F1 - with a manual shift. Huzzah.

You’d think an engine like this wouldn’t need much help in the sound department, but Murray’s team has sought to improve the aural experience regardless. Further developing the ‘Direct Path Induction Sound’ concept used on the F1, the T.50 has a ram induction air intake just about the driver’s head. The piping is made from carbon fibre in varying thicknesses, meaning it behaves like a speaker, filling the cabin with natural engine noise.

“The intoxicating growl that drivers love is introduced as the throttle angle increases, the sound intensifies as the induction sound kicks in, then as you push towards the upper end of the rev range the V12 will sing like nothing else on the road,” Murray says. “You can never get a great sound from a turbocharged engine,” he also notes.

We probably wouldn’t go that far, but we suspect having a go in the production T.50 might ruin most other engines for you.