Photo: Gordon Murray Automotive
In case some of you might have already forgotten about the Gordon Murray Automotive T.50, the McLaren F1 designer and all-round automotive genius has taken everyone by surprise today with unveiling of the T50's no-compromise track version, the T.50s Niki Lauda.
Named after legendary three-time Formula 1 champion Niki Lauda, who sadly passed away in 2019, the ground-breaking supercar has been optimized 100 percent for track use and is not road-legal.
Gordon Murray had already let it slip that a track-only version of the T.50 was coming last fall, but nobody was expecting it so early.
The model was unveiled earlier today, on Niki Lauda’s birthday, who was also part of the Brabham F1 team when Murray was head designer and won the first and only race with the so-called ‘F1 fan car’, which also served as inspiration for the T.50 and T.50s.
If you thought the GMA T.50 road car was bonkers, wait until you hear the new T.50s Niki Lauda's technical details, as this car takes things to a whole new level.
The Cosworth-engineered naturally aspirated 3.9-liter V12 is now capable of no less than 725 horsepower, can rev to a stratospheric 12,100 rpm, and only weighs 162 kg (357 lbs).
A newly designer Xtrac six-speed transmission with paddle shifter takes care of sending all that power to the rear wheels while revamped aerodynamics and the 400mm rear-mounted fan contribute to a mind-bending 1,500 kg (3,306 pounds) of downforce.
Considering the entire car only weighs 852 kg (1,878 pounds), driving it at full chat on a track must feel like controlling a horizontal roller coaster.
“When we created the McLaren F1 GTR it was developed from the F1 road car. From its inception the T.50s Niki Lauda, though, was designed in parallel with the T.50. For the T.50 our target was clear, to make the best driver’s car for the road. With the T.50s Niki Lauda it was equally clear, to make it the best driver’s car for the track. Putting it another way, we asked ourselves what would be the coolest thing to drive on track and create a track driving experience like no other car in history?” said Professor Gordon Murray CBE.
Only 25 units of the T.50s Niki Lauda will be ever manufactured, with production set to start in January 2023 at the Gordon Murray Automotive manufacturing center in Surrey, UK, after the 100 production run of the T.50 road-going supercar ends. Each one will start at £3.1 million (approximately $4.3 million).
Gordon Murray had already let it slip that a track-only version of the T.50 was coming last fall, but nobody was expecting it so early.
The model was unveiled earlier today, on Niki Lauda’s birthday, who was also part of the Brabham F1 team when Murray was head designer and won the first and only race with the so-called ‘F1 fan car’, which also served as inspiration for the T.50 and T.50s.
If you thought the GMA T.50 road car was bonkers, wait until you hear the new T.50s Niki Lauda's technical details, as this car takes things to a whole new level.
The Cosworth-engineered naturally aspirated 3.9-liter V12 is now capable of no less than 725 horsepower, can rev to a stratospheric 12,100 rpm, and only weighs 162 kg (357 lbs).
A newly designer Xtrac six-speed transmission with paddle shifter takes care of sending all that power to the rear wheels while revamped aerodynamics and the 400mm rear-mounted fan contribute to a mind-bending 1,500 kg (3,306 pounds) of downforce.
Considering the entire car only weighs 852 kg (1,878 pounds), driving it at full chat on a track must feel like controlling a horizontal roller coaster.
“When we created the McLaren F1 GTR it was developed from the F1 road car. From its inception the T.50s Niki Lauda, though, was designed in parallel with the T.50. For the T.50 our target was clear, to make the best driver’s car for the road. With the T.50s Niki Lauda it was equally clear, to make it the best driver’s car for the track. Putting it another way, we asked ourselves what would be the coolest thing to drive on track and create a track driving experience like no other car in history?” said Professor Gordon Murray CBE.
Only 25 units of the T.50s Niki Lauda will be ever manufactured, with production set to start in January 2023 at the Gordon Murray Automotive manufacturing center in Surrey, UK, after the 100 production run of the T.50 road-going supercar ends. Each one will start at £3.1 million (approximately $4.3 million).
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