All you need to know: Gordon Murray Automotive's T.50, the world's lightest supercar
We're sure the irony of not wanting to chase headline performance figures with the 663PS GMA T.50 supercar but creating them anyways isn't lost on Gordon Murray, the man behind some of the most legendary Formula 1 racecars, and the iconic roadgoing McLaren F1. And finally revealed in production form, the T.50 is the world's lightest production supercar at 986kg (with fluids) AND is powered by the world's lightest, quickest-responding and highest-revving V12 engine (178kg, 0.3s to 12,100rpm redline), which deserves its own story.
And though the T.50 was developed to better the F1 in every way, we still don't know if it'll beat the F1's still-standing record for the fastest naturally-aspirated production car, at 386kmph. Surprisingly, no top speeds or 0-100kmph performance figures were revealed. Some of the headline figures that Gordon Murray Automotive do want to talk about are the astounding aerodynamics courtesy the 400mm ground effects fan on the rear of the car, negating the need for a rear wing. Capable of both doubling downforce under braking and reducing drag by up to 12.5 per cent when in its 'streamline' mode, the fan gives the compact 4.3m long T.50 a virtual longtail effect to increase straight line stability. Otherwise carrying minimalistic styling, which looks refreshingly simple if familiar, the fact that the T.50 is free of any other vents, splitters and wings further points to its design purity.
The T.50 does use a 48V mild-hybrid system to temporarily boost power outputs by 50PS but it's wholly unnecessary to boost torque at low engine speeds given the car's near-electric throttle response. Another aspect GMA is proud of is the narrow-gated six-speed manual gearbox built by Xtrac, to Murray's simple brief - build the best gearbox in the world.
Importantly, the 100 examples of the T.50 will not be destined for life as mere trackday specials, the T.50 is road-legal and its creator wants nothing more than for its lucky owners to revel in the driving experience every chance they get. In fact, Gordon Murray's singular brief in creating the T.50 was to put the focus back on the driving experience, with the starting point for the T.50 picking up where the McLaren F1 left off - with its triple seat layout putting the driver in the centre of the car.
From there Murray's simplified the in-cabin experience, but put thought into the things that matter. Like a lightweight throttle pedal milled from titanium, or the aluminium-needle on the rev counter, with old-school floodlighting on the dial instead of a backlit dial. With space for three passengers and 288-litres of cargo space, the T.50 could also be called highly practical. It certainly is the embodiment of 'engineering art' something that Murray's very fond of, with as much of the engineering in the T.50 sitting proudly on display under the gullwing engine compartment doors.
No expense has been spared in the making of the most driver-centric car, with the T.50 sitting on a carbon-fibre monocoque, draped in carbon-fibre body panels. Understandably its asking price is £2.36m, or Rs 23 crore converted. All 100 units were snapped up early into the development process, with owners no doubt antsy to get behind the wheel of what we can all agree really is one of the greatest, most pure supercars ever made.