There’s a new hypercar on the block, and it comes from the stable of Durban-born designer of the McLaren F1, Gordon Murray.
Called the T.50, think Cosworth V12 redlining at 12 100rpm in a 986kg high-grade carbon fibre monocoque, claiming to have the most advanced aerodynamic system of any road going car, ever.
Add to that an electric fan that keeps the T.50 stuck to the ground, increasing downforce by 50% and generating 100% more downforce through braking, and you’ve got cornering that can bring serious G-forces. The fan does limit top speed somewhat, but who cares if you’ve got a zero to hero in under three seconds hypercar.
Murray says confidently: “No other road car can deliver the package of power, instant responsiveness and driver feedback in such a direct and focused way while remaining comfortable, refined and usable every day.”
So obviously you’d like to sit in the middle, just like a fighter pilot, and the Gordon Murray T.50 accommodates just that view, also optimising balance. Yes, there’s a lot to like about this car.
“From the first touch of the titanium throttle pedal to the V12 screaming at 12 100rpm, the driver experience will surpass any supercar ever built,” Murray says.
But, that powerplant. The naturally-aspirated 3.9-litre Cosworth produces 488kW and 467Nm at 9000 revs, with 71% of that available from the 2500 rev mark.
That’s one highly responsive motor, and super lightweight at 178kg, and sending power to the road via a six-speed manual gearbox with five close ratios for acceleration and a longer sixth cog for crusing. We’ll have to wait on the performance figures, but Bobby’s guess is that they are impressive.
With gullwing doors and a central driver’s seat flanked by two passenger seats, somewhat of a throwback to the Murray-designed McLaren F1, as well as a 10-speaker premium audio system and 288 litres of usable space, the T.50 will be driven every day.
And the attention to detail is amazing, just hearing Murray on a sound of that V12 is impressive. He says: “Everyone said the F1 had a fantastic exhaust, but it’s not the exhaust at all - it was induction noise.
“On cam timing, you’ve got a period when both inlet and exhaust valve are open together and you get this wonderful pulse resonating back through to the inlet - in the central driving position that’s right above the driver’s head. In the F1 I tuned the thickness of the panel to resonate from that induction sound, which was beautiful. I’m doing the same here, except this time we’re going to 12 100 rpm.”
And if you do manage to get your hands one, for a cool R53 million (lol), you can be sure of exclusivity with only 100 being produced.
And you get a fitting session where the steering and pedal placement is tweaked to suit your body. It hardly gets more personal.
In a way, the T.50 is the successor to the famed F1.