GMA T.50: Gordon Murray’s ‘spiritual successor’ to the McLaren F1

British motoring designer Gordon Murray is developing a new V12 supercar that is being hailed as the “spiritual successor” to the McLaren F1.

Murray, who was the lead designer of the F1, will be building the car with his engineering firm Gordon Murray Automotive. The company is known for its Ikea-style budget Ox truck and the new TVR Griffith.

But the designer will be going back to his roots with the new car, called the T.50. Not only is it a clear nod to the McLaren F1, it also employs technology that Murray used during his time in Formula 1 in the 1970s.

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Murray told Autocar that most of the supercar’s design is in place and that development of the first test car is already under way. However, the T.50 isn’t expected to arrive until at least 2022, so motoring fans still have a long wait ahead of them.

In the meantime, here’s everything Murray has revealed so far about the new T.50:

Price

GMA says the T.50 will cost £2m before taxes, which puts it into direct competition with the F1-engined Mercedes-AMG One (£2.1m) and Aston Martin’s V12 Valkyrie hypercar (£2m-£3m).

Only 100 examples are set to reach production.

Release

According to Top Gear, customer deliveries are expected to get under way in 2022. This suggests that the car will be unveiled in near-production form to prospective buyers either at the end of 2020 or in early 2021.

Design

GMA has yet to reveal the car’s final form. It has, however, shared a cross-section image of the T.50 that gives us a good idea about how the supercar will look.

Glance at the official preview image (pictured top) and it’s clear to see why the T.50 is being hailed as the McLaren F1’s spiritual successor. The silhouette of the vehicle is almost identical to the 1990s hypercar, including the low nose and the small moveable wing at the back of the car.

The air scoop above the engine bay is also reminiscent of the F1, as is the multi-element side windows and three-seater cockpit.

One of Murray’s innovative designs can be seen at the back of the car. The T.50 has a large fan just above the rear diffuser, which “helps to accelerate air under the car to increase downforce levels” and keep the bodywork almost completely free of “wings and splitters”, says Auto Express.

The technology first appeared in sports car racing in the 1960s, but Murray was the first to introduce it into F1. In 1978, Brabham launched the Murray-designed BT46B at the Swedish Grand Prix, which it dominated with the late Niki Lauda behind the wheel. It proved so fast that team owner Bernie Ecclestone withdrew the machine for the rest of the season as it seemed unsporting to race the dominant car.

Engine and performance

Murray has called on British engine builder Cosworth to help GMA construct a 3.9-litre naturally-aspirated V12 engine for the T.50.

The engine will produce 641bhp and rev to a heady 12,400rpm, making it slightly more powerful than the original McLaren F1, says Autocar. The motor is paired to a six-speed manual gearbox, which apparently caters to the requests of the T.50’s “secret list” of potential customers.