Here's A Naked GMA T.50 Test Mule Firing Up For The First Time

We’re itching to see and hear the 12,100rpm Gordon Murray Automotive T.50 driven in anger. With development on the car set to be ongoing for some time, though, we’ll have to settle for little nuggets like this.

What you’re looking at here is ‘George’, a very early development mule for GMA’s McLaren F1 spiritual successor. The T.50’s 654bhp, 3.9-litre V12 is present and correct in its midship placement, but it’s not mounted in the carbon fibre tub intended for the production version. It’s too early for that, so George is instead based around the tubular space frame and rolling chassis of an Ultima.

As Kevin Doyle from GMA’s vehicle development team explains to Indycar legend Dario Franchitti (who joined the project a few weeks ago), it’s all about getting a head start on engine calibration while the carbon monocoques are prepared. The complete powertrain is present, along with the Xtrac six-speed manual gearbox and shift mechanism that’ll go in the final car.

At present, the engine is restricted to 4000rpm, but as the calibration work continues, more of the V12’s 12,100rpm capability will be unlocked. Thus far we’ve ‘only’ heard it rev up to 8000rpm.

As a final treat, we get to hear this naked, hypercar mutant start-up and idle for a few seconds. It’s short but sweet and gives us a tantalising teaser of what’s to come.