Before Gordon Murray Automotive could start delivering the massively impressive T.50, it needed the final sign off from its CEO, founder, and namesake, Gordon Murray. In the company’s latest video, it shows how that happened.
Rather than take it to some tropical location with perfect views and flawless roads, or to some far-flung racetrack, Murray took the final, authoritative drive on the roads around his house. And that was done intentionally.
Despite being powered by a high-strung, Cosworth engine, and featuring an exotic central seating position, the GMA T.50 is designed to be a car for real roads. That means that it has to be high enough off the ground not to get high-centered on rural roads, and it has to be compliant enough not to break your back on anything other than newly laid tarmac. And it has to do all of that without getting lost in its forebear’s shadow.
Read: Gordon Murray Kicks Off Production Of The Mesmerizing T.50 Hypercar
“This really is the next F1, and that was my intention,” said Murray in a newly released video. “The T.50 had to deliver all that car did, but better—and that’s what it does. It’s such a driver-focused and exciting car to drive…and as for the V12 engine, all I can say is wow!”
Footage of Murray driving the car shows how happy he is with his engineers’ and test drivers’ work. The result of years of development, he says the T.50 is a rewarding car to drive, that can be quiet when you want it to be, but howls like a banshee when it’s pushed to its redline.
And what a redline. The T.50 is powered by a naturally-aspirated, 3.9-liter V12 that tops out at 12,100 RPM. That allows the unassisted engine to make 672 ear-piercing horsepower (681 PS/501 kW), which was a highlight for Murray.
It also means, however, that the car must truly be driven. In sixth gear, at highway speeds, the engine is cruising. You really have to downshift to make the car as responsive as possible. Driven too aggressively, it can also be a handful, reveals Dario Franchitti, who hosts the video. However, he says that the harder you drive it, the more rewarding it is.
And that’s what customers will soon find out for themselves. The first production vehicle started production earlier this month.