These days, the world is positively packed with supercars and hypercars. By that, we mean the world is packed with a few real cars and a slew of incredible concepts that promise extraordinary performance. When all is said and done, a good portion of the concepts never see the light of day. That’s why it’s cool as hell to see the crazy T.50 turning real-world laps, even if it’s just slow-speed circuits of the Top Gear track at Dunsfold.
New photos and video from Gordon Murray Automotive confirm the T.50 isn’t just a mad-scientist idea relegated to a digital world of computer renderings. In fact, Gordon Murray himself climbs behind the wheel to sample some of what his car has to offer. The noted designer has all kinds of history with fast cars, and his time spent with McLaren as the designer of the infamous F1 certainly comes through in the T.50. From the dihedral doors to the three-seat cockpit and general shape, the T.50 could well be a modern take on the 240-mph F1. That is, until you see it from the back.
5 Photos
You won’t find a jet engine on the F1, or for that matter, on the T.50. However, Murray’s new hypercar does feature an electric fan that spins at 7,000 rpm, effectively sucking the car into the pavement. The fan also functions as a ram-air system for the insane Cosworth-sourced V12, which develops 654 naturally aspirated horsepower from just 4.0-liters of displacement. It redlines over 12,000 rpm, and while we don’t get to hear the engine on full boil in this video, even at moderate speeds it sounds positively ferocious. The whistling of the fan is pretty awesome, too.
The clip is literally the first drive of the T.50 prototype, so it’s understandable why things are taken slowly. Still, it’s a vital first step in bringing the car to production, which is slated for 2022. Only 100 will be made at a cost of approximately $3 million per car, and after watching this video, we can’t wait to see one of these going full-tilt on a track.
