Gordon Murray has just released the first set of pictures of its highly-expected T.50 hypercar, thirty years after designing the McLaren F1.
The legendary McLaren F1 was powered by a 6.1-liter BMW V12 engine producing 618 horsepower with a central driver seat, one of the most flexible and swiftest street-legal supercars at that time.
However, the T.50 hypercar is powered by a Cosworth built V12 engine, which produces 654 horsepower, including a redline of 12,100 rpm. The hypercar is remarkable for its compact and lightweight body weighing 2174 pounds only.
The T.50 is a three-seater car, and the driver’s seat is in the center of the console. Only 100 models are supposed to be manufactured with a price tag of $3 million, and at that price, taxes are included, just in case you wanted to get one for yourself.
The T.50 model is a tribute to the McLaren F1 model while improving it as much as possible. “I want this to be the ultimate driver’s car.”, said Gordon Murray. To achieve such a level of perfection, there were many advancements done in the T.50, including its rear-mounted V12 engine. Equipped with a 6-speed manual gearbox and its impressive power-to-weight ratio of 3.3 pounds per horsepower, about 13 percent better than the McLaren Senna, the T.50 is all set to beat the McLaren F1.
Gordon Murray states, “I don’t use CAD, so all the concept drawings were done on a drawing board.” Every modification, including the carbon fiber tubes, body panels, suspension, engines, and the interior switchgear were precisely designed and engineered by Murray personally, specifically for this car.
The T.50 model is turning out to be one of the unique cars in the automotive industry and much more intense than those manufactured by Horacio Pagani and Ettore Bugatti. As mentioned above, the T.50 is actually modified, or should we say, improved version of the F1. One of those significant improvements is its 15.7-inch, 11.4 HP, 48-volt electric fan at the back of the car, whirling up to 7000 rpm and used to improved the car’s aerodynamics.
Furthermore, Murray described the T.50’s Cosworth-built V12 engine as “probably the greatest internal-combustion engine ever fitted to a road car.” It delivers as much as 245 lb-ft of torque at only 2,500 rpm, more than necessary for normal driving conditions while peak torque of 344 lb-ft arrives around 9000 rpm. The Vmax Mode cut downs the T.50’s aerodynamic settings, resulting in lower drag, releasing 49 hp from, thanks to the fan-assisted aero feature. He said:
“Cosworth is so far ahead of Ferrari and other people on internal combustion now, perhaps because everyone else is concentrating on hybrids and EVs. It’s incredibly rare for anyone to do a new engine from a clean sheet of paper these days.”
Yes, the T.50 is a redesigned version of the F1, but it’s, without a doubt, better than the McLaren in every aspect.
Gordon Murray strikes again, and he did not disappoint.
Good
A very deep study done by you on comparing the new ones by the old ones and hence the development is very clear.
A very good composition for Auto Magazines.