The first Gordon Murray Automotive T.50 prototype has been driven on track for the first time, with its maker saying ‘it feels so good already’.
Called XP2, or Experimental Prototype 2, this is the first time the carbon chassis, bodywork and engine have been put together to be driven in the real world.
With Murray at the wheel, the T.50 lapped the runways of Dunsfold Aerodrome, best-known for being the test track for the BBC TV show Top Gear. With this being the first shakedown, the car was limited to just 3,000rpm, but the full production car will have an astonishing 12,000rpm red line.
Despite this testing limitation, Murray said he was still getting some wheelspin in the chilly conditions.
In a video released by Murray’s manufacturing firm, he says ‘you can tell when a car is going to be good… it just feels so good already’.
Designed by legendary car designer Gordon Murray, the T.50 is a limited-edition supercar that boasts a 654bhp V12 engine and the ‘most advanced and effective aerodynamics ever seen on a road car’.
The Cosworth-built powerplant is a 3.9-litre naturally aspirated unit that is claimed to be the lightest V12 ever made thanks to its aluminium, steel and titanium construction.
However, the major talking point is the 400mm rear-mounted fan. This rapidly accelerates the air passing under the car to create huge amounts of downforce. Known as ‘ground effects’, it means fewer wings and spoilers are needed on the bodywork, which helps to reduce drag.
Customer deliveries of the T.50 will begin in January 2022.
