One of the McLaren F1’s defining moments was its shock overall victory in the wet at Le Mans in 1995. No surprise then that Gordon Murray would like its spiritual successor, the T.50, to be ready for the famed race track.
In Gordon Murray Automotive’s latest video, the T.50’s sensational V12 is hooked up to the engine dyno and run through a simulation of the Le Mans race track, the Circuit de la Sarthe. You can hear the high-revving, naturally aspirated engine howl through the first section of course.
The display is welcome since the last time we heard the car running on GMA’s YouTube channel, it was limited to just 3,000 RPM, well short of its 12,100 RPM redline.
Built by Cosworth, Gordon Murray calls it the finest V12 ever made and he speculates that it might be the last great V12 ever. Despite featuring all those raging cylinders, the engine displaces just 3.9-liters. Thanks to remarkable engineering, though, it makes 654 hp.
Read More: The T.50 Supercar Features A 3.9-liter Cosworth V12 Engine With 654 HP
In the video, Murray suggests that the experience for the driver will be different from even this simulation, though, since the induction vent runs over the roof of the vehicle and over the centrally-located driver.
“The ram induction for the engine is absolutely opposite the driver’s ears,” he says. “And what happens is you get inlet noise coming back up the track and resonating through the roof and that gives you that gorgeous growl on throttle opening. So this is going to be another planet with the V12.”
Whether or not the T.50 will attempt to recreate the F1’s Le Mans magic in the new Hypercar Class is still unknown, but Murray did reveal that he’s at least interested in the idea and has spoken to the organizing body about it.