Tag: Gordon Murray Design

  • Here’s what Gordon Murray T.50’s Cosworth V-12 sounds like lapping Le Mans

    Gordon Murray Automotive (GMA) has already provided a sample of how the 3.9-liter Cosworth V-12 in its T.50 supercar sounds, but on Wednesday the company released a video of the engine running a simulated lap of Le Mans’ Circuit de la Sarthe on the dynamometer. Spoiler alert: it sounds epic.

    In the video, GMA namesake Gordon Murray seems as proud of the engine note as he does of any other aspect of the car. Murray attributes the lack of forced induction, and the ram-air intake mounted right behind the driver’s head, to the car’s fantastic high-pitched sound.

    Gordon Murray's first drive in a GMA T.50 prototype

    Gordon Murray’s first drive in a GMA T.50 prototype

    On the simulated Mulsanne Straight, the V-12 shrieks like the engine of an early 2000s Formula One car. That’s thanks to a 12,100 rpm redline, which the company claims is the highest of any production car. GMA also claims its engine is the lightest V-12 in a production car, at 392 pounds.

    Working with a 48-volt mild-hybrid system, peak output is 654 horsepower and 344 pound-feet of torque. Those numbers aren’t world-beating for a supercar these days, but keep in mind that the T.50 only weighs 2,174 pounds, about 200 pounds less than a Miata.

    Murray also isn’t interested in chasing numbers. Instead of trying to beat a top-speed record or Nürburgring lap time, he designed the T.50 to be the ultimate analog supercar. That’s why the V-12 is coupled to a 6-speed manual transmission, which most competitors have abandoned.

    Gordon Murray's first drive in a GMA T.50 prototype

    Gordon Murray’s first drive in a GMA T.50 prototype

    The T.50 will almost certainly be entertaining to drive. During a recent test drive, Murray chirped the tires at just 3,000 rpm. At higher speeds, the T.50 uses trick aerodynamic aids, including a fan inspired by Murray’s Brabham BT46B “Fan Car” F1 racer from 1978.

    Only 125 T.50 supercars will be built, including 100 road cars and 25 T.50s Niki Lauda track cars, which ditch the manual transmission but get more power and even more extreme aerodynamic elements.

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  • Here’s how Gordon Murray’s track-focused T50s can drive upside down

    Many automakers have claimed that their supercars produce enough downforce to drive upside down, but in a new video Engineering Explained’s Jason Fenske shows how Gordon Murray’s T50s might be the first car actually capable of pulling the stunt off.

    The T50s is the track-only version of the recently-unveiled T50 supercar. Like the road-going version, the T50s has a rear-mounted fan inspired by Murray’s Brabham BT46B “Fan Car” Formula One racer. But while the T50 has six modes for this fan, the T50s only has one—high downforce.

    In the T50s, the fan spins at a constant 7,000 rpm to continuously generate that downforce. The car gets a number of other aerodynamic add-ons as well, including a roof scoop that works as a ram-air intake for the engine, a stabilizing fin like the ones used on Le Mans prototypes, and a large rear spoiler.

    Gordon Murray T.50s

    Gordon Murray T.50s

    How does that allow the T50s to drive upside down? In order for that to happen, the downforce needs to cancel out the force of gravity, preventing the car from falling. The T50s might have enough downforce for that, and it can run at the sustained high speeds needed to continue generating that downforce, Fenske said, adding that Car and Driver estimated a top speed of 210 mph would be required.

    At 210 mph, the T50s should behave like a regular car driven at average speeds, but only as long as it’s driven at a steady speed in a straight line, Fenske said. Any braking or steering would upset the balance needed to keep the car upside down. Driving upside down would also require changes to the oil and fuel systems, which aren’t designed to work inverted, Fenske noted.

    Watch the full video for more details on the T50s and its downforce-generating abilities. In addition to more aero aids, the T50s gets a more powerful version of the T50 road car’s 3.9-liter Cosworth V-12, with 690 horsepower (or 720 hp with ram air). However, it also swaps the road car’s manual transmission for a paddle-shifted gearbox. Just 25 cars will be built, priced at $3.6 million each. Production is scheduled to start in 2023, or a year after the road car.

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  • How Gordon Murray’s T50 embarrasses every supercar on the planet

    Gordon Murray Automotive (GMA) recently unveiled the T50 supercar and, perhaps not surprisingly for the product of the man who designed the McLaren F1 and numerous winning race cars, it’s full of interesting technical details. Jason Fenske at Engineering Explained put together this deep dive, highlighting five elements that distinguish the T50 from other supercars.

    The T50 is not a numbers car. Murray calls it the “ultimate analog supercar,” and has said the focus was on creating the best driving experience, not breaking top speed or lap records. For example, the 3.9-liter naturally aspirated V-12 “only” develops 653 horsepower and 344 pound-feet of torque, which aren’t very impressive numbers for a supercar these days. But the Cosworth-developed engine can rev to 12,100 rpm and is coupled to a 6-speed manual transmission.

    That manual transmission is a rarity in modern exotics, most of which have gone to quicker-shifting (but less fun) dual-clutch gearboxes. The T50 transmission also has fairly high gearing for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd, which should make burnouts easy, Fenske noted.

    Gordon Murray Automotive T50

    Gordon Murray Automotive T50

    A 15.7-inch fan is mounted at the rear of the car as part of an active aero system. The fan is inspired by Murray’s Brabham BT46B Formula One car, but it serves a different purpose here. In the Brabham, the fan worked with side skirts to create an area of low air pressure under the car, creating downforce by sucking the car onto the track. In the T50, the fan works with active rear spoilers to reduce drag at high speeds by bleeding off downforce, or increasing downforce under braking. However, the effect is relatively small for such a complex feature, Fenske noted.

    The fan may be somewhat of a gimmick, but the T50 embarrasses other supercars when it comes to weight. The T50 weighs just 2,714 pounds—over 1,000 pounds less than a Ferrari LaFerrari, McLaren P1, and Porsche 918 Spyder, Fenske noted. All three cars have more power than the T50, thanks to complex hybrid powertrains, but none can match its weight-to-power ratio of 3.3 pounds per horsepower.

    Only 100 buyers will get to experience the brisk acceleration afforded by that weight-to-power ratio, and they won’t get their cars for awhile. Production is scheduled to start in January 2022. The car is priced at $3.08 million (at current exchange rates), and each owner will have a fitting session for positioning of the central driver’s seat, steering wheel, and pedals. GMA might also develop a track-only version, and a racing version that could potentially compete at Le Mans.

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