THE LIGHT, FANTASTIC

SON OF McLAREN F1

The McLaren F1 (1992-98) is still regarded as one of the greatest mid-engined supercars ever made, thanks to its light weight and completely driverfocused layout.

One thing F1 creator Professor Gordon Murray couldn’t quite do with the F1 was achieve his goal of a sub-1000kg kerb weight (it was 1138kg). But a new midengined supercar from Gordon Murray Automotive (GMA), the T.50, is being designed around just that: a total vehicle weight of just 980kg.

GMA says it will achieve this not with a stripped-out track car, but with a model that’s “comfortable, practical and driveable every day”.

The company says the T.50 will undercut typical supercar weight by nearly one-third, with every component designed to be as light as possible. It will be powered by a 4.0l V12 making 485kW; GMA says a typical 1400kg-plus supercar would require over 700kW to offer the same level of performance, but require even heavier components to handle the extra output.

“Today, the enjoyment of driving has been lost as so many supercars only come ‘alive’ at the upper-ends of their performance capabilities,” says Murray. “Chasing a top speed only adds weight, so the future of true performance cars lies in shedding weight intelligently.”

The T.50 will be smaller than a Porsche 911 but, like the F1, offer comfortable space for three passengers and luggage. Its fully carbon fibre monocoque and body panels weigh less than 150kg in total. Inside, the three racing-inspired seats are also constructed using carbon fibre.

To minimise weight at every stage of development, GMA’s senior design and engineering teams hold a weekly “weight watchers” meeting to review the weight of the car and its components.