New Gordon Murray T50s Niki Lauda is 700bhp track weapon

“We were passionate about making the kind of track car no one else could do,” he says. “No other manufacturer will ever get close to delivering the experience of driving an 850kg car powered by a 700 horsepower normallhy aspirated V12 engine that can rev to 12,100rpm. The exhaust we’ve designed is going to move engine sounds onto a whole new level.” 

Murray “couldn’t care less” about horsepower or lap times compared with other cars though he has no doubt that the T50s will be “very quick”. Rather, his concentration has been on delivering the very best driving experience possible on the track. 

The unprecedented weight saving was delivered by painstaking attention to the construction and function of every component — including 20.7kg from the T50s engine (which doesn’t need its variable valve timing equipment) and 6kg from the new gearbox. The body material is thinner, Murray explains, and of course the track car doesn’t need audio or elaborate air conditioning equipment. Still, the success of the campaign has taken him by surprise. “We initially set 890kg as a target,” he says, “and I was pretty sure we’d struggle.”  

To support the special nature of the T50s, owners will be offered a package called Trackspeed that consists of tools, jacks, fuel fillers, and all-important set-up instructions to draw the best performance from the car on different circuits. Drivers will also be offered top-class tuition, if they want it. 

Though T50s has not been conceived as a competition car, Murray says there may yet be a race series. He has been working closely with Stefan Ratel, who organises many of the world’s GT championships, with a view to setting up a GT1 club for owners, some of whom are likely to want to race — perhaps at F1 circuits on the days immediately after a grand prix has concluded.

Murray says he knows most of his owners, and intends to maintain the community spirit he created with the original McLaren F1 and has always valued. “Fifty percent of the buzz I get from cars comes from designing them,” he says, “and the other 50 comes from meeting people and getting them involved.” Most of the 25-strong T50s batch is already sold, mostly to people who know what to expect of a Gordon Murray design. But “a handful” are still up from grabs.

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