Gordon Murray Automotive has announced a racing-focused version of the T.50 supercar, the road going version of which has already sold out.
Priced at £3.1m (before taxes) (US$4m) the racing variant – codenamed T.50s – weighs just 890kg, just shy of 100kg lighter than the road variant. According to Murray, “With an unwavering focus on performance, and free from road-going legislation and maintenance considerations, the T.50s will achieve astonishing performance on track, demonstrating the full extent of the car’s capabilities. We’ve thrown everything at pushing this car beyond the levels of anything that’s been done before – it’s a celebration of British engineering and our team’s extensive motorsport experience.”
One of the most significant additions to the T.50s is a 1,758mm-wide delta wing mounted to the rear of the car, which echoes the design of the front wing on Murray’s 1983 Brabham BT52 Formula 1 car. The wing works in conjunction with a new ground effect underbody, front splitter, adjustable diffuser, and the car’s 400mm fan, to generate more than 1,500kg of downforce – 170% of the car’s 890kg weight.
While the road-focused T.50 features six different aerodynamic modes, the T.50s has only one, with the underbody diffusor ducts open fully and the fan running permanently at 7,000rpm. The fan cleans the air from the car’s upper and lower surfaces, with the underbody flow accelerated through the car’s redesigned, aggressively raked rear diffuser. The aerodynamic package should enable the T.50s to generate between 2.5g-3g under braking.
The Cosworth GMA V12 engine is to be extensively reworked to extract greater performance, with power upped to over 700ps, though the used of revied cylinder heads and camshafts coupled with a higher compression ratio and a different exhaust system.
Murray noted, “With no noise or emission legislation to contend with, we could unleash the full potential of the GMA V12 engine and its 12,100rpm. More than 50 components have been changed in the engine alone and the power can top 730ps when factoring in the new ram-air induction system.” The roof-mounted ram-air inlet from the T.50 has also been modified to maximize intake of air above the bodywork boundary layer.
The engine changes are complimented by a new 6-speed IGS (Instantaneous Gearchange System) pre-selector gearchange system by Xtrac. The bespoke transmission features new drive ratios, and a paddle-shift replaces the road car’s manual set-up.
Continuing Murray’s philosophy that even supercars don’t need totally bespoke rubber, the new car rides on Michelin Cup Sport 2 tires. These are mounted to forged magnesium wheels that significantly reduce the car’s unsprung mass.
GMA says that T.50s buyers will receive a full Trackspeed individualization package that includes set-up, training, racing and support. Murray explained that, “I’d like to organize a series of racing events as part of our Trackspeed package to ensure the T.50s is driven regularly by owners. There will be nothing like the experience of driving this car. And hearing it… well, that will be something else! I’d like each of the 25 cars to be completely unique from set-up to paint finish.”
The company states that it is in discussions with Stéphane Ratel of SRO regarding the potential for a GT1 sports club and race series for current supercars.
