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Gordon Murray is building a spiritual successor to the McLaren F1

Under the new banner of Gordon Murray Automotive, the visionary British designer has revealed plans to build an ultra-lightweight V12-powered supercar that, like the legendary McLaren F1 that precedes it, will put the onus entirely on driver involvement…

Directly inspired by Gordon Murray’s 50 years at the forefront of automotive design and engineering, the newly revealed T.50 will be a carbon-fibre, V12, rear-wheel-drive, manual, and entirely uncompromised supercar with the same three-abreast seating configuration as the McLaren F1, arguably the jewel in Murray’s career crown.

Utilising a small carbon-fibre tub clothed in an expertly packaged and ultra-aerodynamic ‘active’ body, the car will be powered by the highest-revving naturally aspirated V12 ever used in a production car (3.9 litres and 12,100rpm, if you’re wondering), developed from scratch by the wizards at Cosworth. Oh, it’ll also have an airflow-regulating fan at the rear just like Murray’s Brabham BT46B Formula 1 car, which proved so devastatingly quick that it was promptly banned by the FIA. 

Murray is claiming 650HP from the engine and an overall weight of just 980kg. However, he suggests outright performance records are categorically not the goal here, rather a driver-focused supercar built in the same vein as the F1 but with every discernible facet markedly improved. What’s more, purists will rejoice in the knowledge that the mighty powerplant will be paired with a proper H-pattern manual gearbox that drives the rear wheels only. And you thought you’d seen the end of the analogue supercar?

Just 100 of the British-built T.50s will be built, priced at around £2m each (excl. taxes), and deliveries will commence in 2022. We can’t remember the last time we got this excited about a new supercar – suffice to say, we really can’t wait to see more… 

Photos: Gordon Murray Automotive