• Gordon Murray-designed GMA T.50 supercar is featured on episode of “Jay Leno’s Storage”
• Profitable racing driver Dario Franchitti presents the T.50 to Leno
• Manufacturing of the T.50 is already underway at plant in U.Ok.

Gordon Murray is accountable for the legendary McLaren F1 supercar of the Nineteen Nineties, and his newest creation, the T.50, is prone to go down in historical past as Murray’s subsequent nice automobile.

Jay Leno is likely one of the few house owners of the F1, and his enthusiasm for the automobile exhibits within the newest “Jay Leno’s Storage” episode the place he explores the T.50, a automobile Murray himself as described because the true successor to the F1. Similarities embody a central driving place, a light-weight carbon-fiber tub, a high-revving V-12 (as much as 12,100 rpm), and a 6-speed guide transmission. Each automobiles additionally sport comparable styling.

Profitable Indy racing driver Dario Franchitti, at the moment an envoy for Gordon Murray Automotive, the corporate accountable for the T.50, was readily available to point out Leno the T.50. The actual instance is a prototype, which means Leno wasn’t capable of drive it, although little doubt the humorous man has one headed to his assortment shortly. Franchitti did the driving, which is acceptable as a result of he helped develop the automobile.

Manufacturing began in early 2023 and GMA plans to construct simply 100 examples, plus 25 examples of a extra hardcore T.50s Niki Lauda model. GMA will then deal with a much less excessive supercar, often called the T.33. An open-top T.33 Spider can be deliberate.

The T.50 is exclusive on the rear, the place it has a big fan. The fan is used to extend downforce with out resorting to large wings and spoilers, which Murray would not like. It really works on the rear diffuser in addition to rear spoilers, and has a number of modes that allow the motive force alter the extent of downforce.

A Excessive Downforce mode will increase downforce by 50%. A Braking mode can add downforce beneath braking, shortening the stopping distance by 98 ft from 150 mph, in keeping with the automobile’s revealed specs. And a V-Max Increase provides a ram-air operate, elevating the automobile’s output to 690 hp from the usual 654 hp.

The T.50’s fan idea is completely different than the one used on the Murray-designed Brabham BT46B “fan automobile” that Niki Lauda drove to victory on the 1978 System 1 Swedish Grand Prix. Within the Brabham, the fan labored extra like a vacuum cleaner, and sucked the automobile to the bottom.

Just like the F1, the T.50 is all concerning the driving expertise. It weighs roughly 2,200 kilos, lower than a Miata, so lots of its elements do not have to be massive and heavy to deal with the automobile’s load. As an illustration, the brakes are small for a supercar and the tires are 235 mm vast up entrance and 295 mm within the rear. For higher really feel, the electrical energy steering solely works at parking zone speeds, then turns off to turn into guide steering.

Gordon Murray is not the one profitable System 1 designer with a brand new supercar on his fingers. Adrian Newey has designed the RB17 observe automobile, which might be constructed and marketed by Newey’s soon-to-be former employer Crimson Bull Racing, beginning subsequent yr.

Take a look at the video above for extra info and to listen to that sonorous V-12 in motion.