Gordon Murray shows off supercar with sci-fi looks

Published Dec 11, 2019

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GUILDFORD, ENGLAND - South African born, UK-based car design legend Gordon Murray has released the first image of his upcoming T.50 supercar, which he says will have the “most advanced and most effective” aerodynamics ever seen on a road car.

And although only the rear end of the vehicle is being revealed for now, this view does show us its most important, and radical, aerodynamic feature, which comes in the form of a 400m ground-effect fan, which - together with the active under body aerodynamics and dynamic rear aerofoils - enable the car to achieve “considerably more” aerodynamic performance and control than a conventional ground-effect supercar.

There’s more than just a smidgen of Formula One expertise going into this supercar, however, with Gordon Murray Automotive having teamed up with the Racing Point F1 team to further develop and test the aerodynamic systems of this vehicle. This includes the use of the team’s advanced rolling-road wind tunnel in Silverstone.

Owners will be able to choose from six different aerodynamic modes, which optimise the balance between traction and performance for different driving situations.

The T.50 weighs less than your average compact hatchback, with a kerb weight of just 980kg - Murray is, after all, a master of lightweight car design. Like the McLaren F1 supercar that Murray also designed back in the early ‘90s, the T.50 has a three-seat layout.

But it’s the engine that will really get you revved up - it’s bespoke Cosworth V12 force-fed motor sings all the way to 12 100rpm, making it the highest-revving road car engine ever made. The power unit is paired with a 48-volt integrated starter-generation and sends around 520kW to the rear wheels.

If you want one, best you hurry as the T50 is entering the final phase of customer allocation. Oh, and you’re going to need over £2 million to buy one, which is a cool R39 million in our money before import taxes. The production run is limited to just 100 units, and most of them are already accounted for, says Gordon Murray Automotive.

IOL Motoring

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