Gordon Murray T.50 comes with the most advanced aerodynamics

The first official rendering of the Gordon Murray Automotive T.50 is out and it is said to be the most aerodynamically advanced road-legal car we have ever seen. The rear three-quarter rendering of the car has been released which looks incredible from the outset. 

It comes with the 400 mm fan, which protrudes from the centre to use ground effect aerodynamics. It utilizes under-the-car air to rapidly accelerate and force the car through the active elements on the rear diffuser. This is the same fan that was introduced into Formula 1 with the Brabham BT46B in 1978. 

The vertical inlet ducting takes care of any debris from reaching the blades while the design of the car is such that it does not require a skirt like the one on the BT46B, thanks to its underbody ducting.  

There are six different aero modes that get activated when the fan works with the two movable rear spoiler elements. First is the ‘Auto Mode’ where everything is managed automatically depending on speed and driver inputs. Next is the ‘Braking Mode’ which gets activated as soon as the brakes are applied. Here, the car automatically deploys rear spoiler elements as air brakes by multiplying the level of downforce. 

The other four modes can be selected by the driver depending on the requirements and mood. Like the ‘High Downforce Mode’ is a pure racetrack mode, while the ‘ Streamline Mode’ is for cruising where the drag is reduced by 10%, straight-line speed is boosted and fuel-saving is turned on. Also, the fan operates at its highest speed and underbody ducts remain closed. 

Next up, there is a ‘Vmax Mode’ with the same aerodynamics principles along with a power boost of 30.4 PS generated from the car’s 48V starter-generator. Finally, there is a ‘Test Mode’ to show off the car’s capabilities in regards to aero systems when the car is at a standstill.

Powering the T.50 is the naturally-aspirated V12 3.9-litre engine from Cosworth that generates 659 PS of power and 450 Nm of torque as standard. According to the company, the power rises to up to 710 PS in Vmax Mode. It is an RWD model only with an engine coupled with a 6-speed manual transmission.

Murray said, “I’m doing it just like we did on the McLaren F1. There’s five close ratios and an overdrive sixth. Put it in sixth and the fuel consumption, the noise—everything—comes way down.”

Only 100 examples of the T.50 will be produced, out of which 25 will be track-only variants. The Gordon Murray T.50 is priced at £2 million (AED 9,674,217 approx). Its full unveiling is slated to happen in May next year.

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