Gordon Murray Automotive unveiled the T.50
last month and all 100 units were spoken for within 48 hours. Now the company
has announced an even more extreme variant which is tentatively known as the
T.50s. Billed as a “racing-focused version” of the T.50, the model boasts
“hundreds of significant revisions for race and track use.”
Unsurprisingly, the car has been given an
aerodynamic makeover as features a new front splitter, a redesigned diffuser,
and a prominent fin which enhances cornering efficiency and stability. The
model also has a wide delta wing which works with the rear-mounted fan and
other aerodynamic components to generate more than 1,500 kg of
downforce.
Besides the aerodynamic styling tweaks, the
T.50s will eschew multiple aero modes and operate exclusively in a High
Downforce setting. This means the underbody diffuser ducts will be fully open
and the car’s innovative fan will be permanently spinning at 7,000 rpm. Gordon
Murray says the changes are so dramatic that “the T.50s would be capable of
driving upside down, and could do so at as little as 282 km/h.” Given
the focus on racing, it’s not surprising to learn the interior has been
“stripped-back.” The company didn’t release pictures, but said the T.50s will
eschew the road-going model’s “instrumentation, air conditioning, infotainment
[system], storage compartments and carpets.”
The three-person seating arrangement has
also been dropped as the T.50s will feature a central carbon fiber racing seat
which is flanked by a single passenger seat on the left. The model will also
have a F1-inspired carbon fiber steering wheel and track-focused readouts.
Thanks, in part, to the elimination of road-going luxuries, the T.50s will tip
the scales 890 kg which is less than a Lotus Elise. That’s also 94 kg less than the road-going T.50.
Power will be provided by an upgraded
version of the naturally-aspirated 3.9-liter V12 that powers the T.50. The
company didn’t go into specifics, but said the engine will have revised
cylinder heads, upgraded camshafts, a higher compression ratio and a free
flowing exhaust. The engine will be feed by a roof-mounted intake which has
been optimized even further. The company said this alone adds approximately 30
hp and Murray hinted the car will have more than 720 hp altogether.
To cope with the added power, the engine
will be connected an “entirely new” six-speed gearbox which features drive
ratios that are optimized for speed. Given this focus, the transmission trades
a stick for paddle shifters. The performance changes don’t stop there as T.50s
has a retuned suspension with unique spring rates and dampers as well as a
beefier anti-roll bar. The ride height has also been reduced by 40
mm.
The T.50s will ride on forged magnesium
wheels which are wrapped in Michelin Cup Sport 2 tires as Murray doesn’t
believe supercars need bespoke rubber. They’ll be backed up by a Brembo carbon
ceramic braking system which features six-piston calipers up front and
four-piston calipers at the rear. There’s also new ducting around the wheels to
improve brake cooling.
Production will be limited to 25 units,
but more than half of them have already been sold despite costing £ 3.1 (US$ 4.1 /
£ 3.4) million before taxes. That’s pretty pricey, but each buyer will receive a
“Trackspeed” individualization package that includes “set-up, training, racing
and support.” The car will also be extensively customizable and GMA will work
with owners to fine-tune the suspension, chassis balance and delta wing to suit
their driving style and requirements. The T.50s will be unveiled later this
year and the company hinted the model will wear a “historically-significant
official name.” There’s no word on what that is, but production is slated to
begin in the first quarter of 2023.