Murray’s record breaker
MINISTERS may be sounding the death-knell for the traditional petrol engine by accelerating plans to ban them by 2035 or even earlier. But it’ll go out with a bang, not a whimper if legendary supercar and race-car designer Professor Gordon Murray has his way.
Murray has now unveiled a spectacular new £3 million, 200 mph-plus British Cosworthengined supercar. He says the new three-seater T.50 is the ‘spiritual successor’ to his groundbreaking McLaren F1 supercar of the 1990s. With gull-wing doors and threeseater jet-fighter cockpit, the T.50 will be a super-lightweight vehicle.
The production run will be just 100 at Murray’s new assembly plant at Dunsfold Park in Surrey, where BBC Top Gear has been filmed. A total of 90 per cent of the car is UK sourced.
Each vehicle will cost £2.83 million, with delivery from January 2022.
The T.50 will be capable of comfortable long trips with plenty of room for the driver, two passengers and luggage. It is powered by an all-new 3.9-litre CosworthGMA twin-cam naturally aspirated V12 engine. This is capable of 650hp, with a boost up to 700 hp. The engine is linked to a six-speed ‘H-pattern’ short-shifting manual transmission.
The vehicle ‘sticks’ to the road, thanks to a huge fan at the back which is used to control airflow.
Murray declined to speculate on top speed and acceleration. But the lighter and more powerful T.50 will eclipse the F1, which had a top speed of 240.14 mph. So it will be fast. And Murray says advanced carbon fibre will make it the ‘lightest supercar ever’, at 980 kg.
It is called T.50 because it will be the 50th in an illustrious line as well as marking the 74-year-old South African-born Briton’s 50 years in the industry. The engine is going to sound ‘phenomenal’, says Murray.