Gordon Murray has always walked a different path in designing and developing cars. Lap times and top speeds be damned; for Murray, it’s all about driver engagement and connection, and light weight.
Of the four GMA (Gordon Murray Automotive) supercars currently being produced, the T.50s is the no-compromise, pure track variant of the road-going T.50.
This year’s Goodwood Members’ Meeting served as the platform for the world debut, and along with a static display, event attendees were treated to high-speed track demonstrations.
The T.50s Niki Lauda is so named in honour of the legendary Austrian racing driver, recognising the partnership between Lauda and Murray as teammates on the Brabham Formula 1 team.
It is hardly appropriate to refer to the road-going T.50 this car is based upon as subtle, given its ludicrous 12,100rpm engine redline. GMA claimed this to be the most power-dense naturally aspirated production motor ever produced – but that was before the T.50s came along.
In this version, power has risen from 670PS to 772PS. The motor has been completely reworked, and with low-RPM driveability no longer a concern, variable cam timing is gone.
Thinner-walled Inconel exhausts sans catalytic converters reduce more weight, along with amplifying the operatic wail as the car dashes through its 6-speed (now sequential) gearbox.
The ground effect fan (inspired by the BT46 that Lauda drove for Brabham) remains but runs in high downforce mode permanently. This helps contribute to the 1,200kg of downforce available.
On top of more aggressive aerodynamics front and rear, a rigorous weight-loss program has been completed, which further reduces the T.50’s already ridiculous sub-1-tonne weight to under 900kg in the T.50s. As a comparison, cars like the Aston Martin Valkyrie and McLaren Senna GTR easily weigh a few hundred kilograms more.
The central seating position is reminiscent of Murray’s earlier design, the McLaren F1. But instead of two passengers, only the left side passenger seat remains, with the right taken up by a control panel and various electronic modules.
To get a better idea of what goes into the T.50s, you can follow the build process on the GMA YouTube channel. Thoroughly detailed videos documenting the development journeys of the T.50, T.33, and T.50s are all available, along with various other behind-the-scenes videos.
Nowadays, it seems every high-end manufacturer has a track-only hypercar on their roster, leaving buyers spoilt for choice. But realistically, anyone cross-shopping at this level likely already has a few other offerings in their climate-controlled garages.
Seeing the T.50s did, however, leave me feeling slightly conflicted. Cars like this are the pinnacle of internal combustion and a last stand in a world where white-goods-style EV econoboxes are taking over the road networks. As an automotive enthusiast, I appreciate everything the T.50s and cars like it stand for.
On the other hand, knowing that the sorts of cars offering an engaging, analogue driving experience are slowly disappearing from the realms of affordability for most really hurts.
Chaydon Ford
Instagram: chaycore
Additional Photography by Mark Riccioni
Instagram: mark_scenemedia
Twitter/X: markriccioni
mark@speedhunters.com