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Professor Murray to unleash more powerful racing T50
4th September 2020
Gordon Murray Automotive has announced a racing-focused version of the T.50 supercar that will be even lighter, faster, and more powerful. With all of the road-going T.50 supercars selling out within 48 hours of the global premiere, customer demand has turned to the 25 super-exclusive and highly-individual racing models.
Priced at £3.1m (before taxes) the racing variant – codenamed T.50s – weighs just 890kg, while its Cosworth GMA V12 engine develops even more power. The new car also features a 1,758mm-wide delta wing mounted to the rear of the car, which works with the rear-mounted fan, a new front splitter, underbody aerofoil and adjustable diffusers to generate more than 1,500kg of downforce – 170% of the weight of the car.
The new car’s historically-significant official name will be announced later this year at its global reveal. More than half of the exclusive production run has already been sold – before any details were released. Murray now expects interest to soar as prospective owners hear of the boundary-breaking performance potential of the T.50s.
The extensively re-engineered T.50s features hundreds of significant revisions for race and track use over the road-going T.50. The stripped-back interior highlights the track focus and contributes to the new car’s 94kg weight loss. This enhanced lightweighting and the car’s phenomenal downforce ratio will ensure the car performs like nothing else on a racing circuit.
One of the most significant performance-enhancing 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 One car. The visually-striking wing works with a new ground effect underbody aerofoil, front splitter, adjustable diffusers, and the car’s 400mm fan to generate more than 1,500kg of downforce – 170% of the car’s 890kg weight.
The Cosworth GMA V12 engine has been extensively reworked to extract maximum performance. Its power output is now boosted beyond 700PS through completely revised cylinder heads and camshafts, a higher compression ratio, plus an all-new free flow exhaust system.
Murray: “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.”
To harness the power, the T.50s features an entirely new six-speed IGS (Instantaneous Gearchange System) pre-selector gearchange system by Xtrac. The bespoke transmission features new drive ratios, optimised for speed, with paddle-shift replacing the road car’s manual set-up.
Inside the T.50s, the cabin is also entirely performance-focused. The stripped-back space is devoid of the road-car’s instrumentation, air-conditioning, infotainment, storage compartments, and carpets. Again, the driver sits centrally, this time in a new carbon fibre racing seat fitted with a six-point harness. To the left of the driver, just one passenger seats remains allowing for a co-driver… or a very brave passenger!
The steering wheel is a Formula One-style rectangular carbon fibre design. Unlike a Formula One wheel, Murray stripped away all but the essential controls to leave traction and launch control functions, and buttons to activate the pit-lane intercom, and select neutral. The design allows for optimum grip and control, while providing perfect access to the wheel-mounted gearshift paddles.
Replacing the road-going displays, T.50s customers will be able to view readouts that present key performance-focused information, including track lap times, G-forces and essential vehicle / engine data.
Each T.50s buyer receives a full ‘Trackspeed’ individualisation package that includes set-up, training, racing and support. Aiming to deliver a fully customisable and personalised racing experience, a broad spectrum of adjustments can be made to the T.50s to suit each customer’s preferences and driving style. This individualised set-up process, alongside free reign on exterior colours and liveries will ensure that every T.50s is unique.
Almost two thirds of the T.50 road car’s 100-unit production run were pre-sold ahead of its reveal; and every model was sold out within 48 hours of the global unveiling on 4 August. Already, more than half of the T.50s models are spoken for. The 100 road-going T.50 cars will be built in the UK by Gordon Murray Automotive throughout 2022. Production of the 25 racing T.50s cars will begin in Q1 2023.