The McLaren F1 now has a successor — the T.50

ONLY 106 McLaren F1 cars, devised by racecar designer Gordon Murray, were built between 1992 and 1998. Now, the iconic model finally gets a spiritual successor in the form of the T.50 supercar.

Gordon Murray Automotive, the sibling company of Gordon Murray Design, revealed the T.50 — its first vehicle — is already at an advanced stage in its development, and that production and customer deliveries are set to start in early 2022. Just 100 T.50 cars will be built.

Murray, chairman of the Gordon Murray Group, said the T.50 “rewrites the supercar rulebook,” adding; “Our experienced team is applying the same uncompromising approach to design and engineering that shaped every facet of the F1, and they are able to deliver substantial improvements over that car in every meaningful way.”

He said an “unflinching dedication” to light-weighting, advanced active aerodynamics and engineering will ensure the car’s performance.

Gordon Murray Design said it carried out all interior and exterior styling of the T.50. The car will be manufactured in the UK by Gordon Murray Automotive, a new company first announced in late 2017.

The T.50 will be powered by a compact, naturally-aspirated, all-new 6.1-liter V12 engine that can spin to 12,100rpm and produce 650hp and 450Nm. The car will adopt the three-seat format of the F1. It also builds on the F1’s advanced aerodynamics, taking Murray’s ground-effect innovations to a new level with intelligent management of underbody airflow coupled with a 400-millimeter fan at the rear. The fan actively controls underbody airflow, a feature Murray used on the Brabham BT46B Formula 1 car.

The T.50 will weigh just 980 kilograms. It will be fitted with brakes developed specially for it; a combination of lightweight monobloc alloy calipers and new technology carbon-ceramic discs.

“I designed the F1 as a sort of super GT car — absolutely road-focused with no plan to go racing. Which is why the car set new standards for packaging and luggage space. The T.50 design has the same focus and betters the F1 in every area — ingress and egress; luggage capacity; serviceability; maintenance and suspension setup. Also, driver-selectable engine maps ensure a driving mode to suit every situation,” said Murray.