Gordon Murray Automotive partners with Racing Point Formula One team create the T.50 supercar

Gordon Murray T.50

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​Gordon Murray Automotive (GMA) is partnering with the Racing Point Formula One Team to further develop and test the aerodynamics of its forthcoming T.50 supercar. 

Contrasting with the clean lines of the Gordon Murray T.50 body, perhaps the most notable feature of the exterior is the rear-end, which is dominated by a 400mm ground-effect fan – part of a unique airflow management system.Coupled with active underbody aerodynamics and dynamic rear aerofoils, the revolutionary aero system enablesthe T.50 to achieveconsiderablymore aerodynamic performance and control than a conventional ground-effect supercar contributing to an unrivalled driving experience. 

The T.50 features six different aero modes that optimisethe car for different scenarios to balance traction and outright performance. The most extreme – Vmax Mode – combines motorsport slipstream technology, extra power from a48-volt integrated starter-generator, and ram induction to boost power to 700hp.

McLaren F1 '94 and Gordon Murray T.50 sketch

The announcement comes as customer allocations of the T.50, priced in excess of £2 million before taxes, enter their final phase. T.50 weights 980kg and is equiped with a Cosworth V12 capable of an extraordinary 12,100rpm.

​The rear-wheel drive T.50 features Murray’s favoured three-seat layout, with the driver benefitting from a central ‘jet-fighter-style’ driving position. 

The Racing Point Formula OneTeam rebranded from Racing Point Force India earlierthis year, under the leadership of Canadian businessman Lawrence Stroll. The Racing Point HQ in Silverstone (UK) is the hub for all of the race team’s design, R&D, component manufacture, and its racecar production.

The partnership with Gordon Murray Automotive will see the T.50 move from software-based aerodynamic testing (via computational fluid dynamics) to physical testing in the Racing Point rolling-road wind tunnel from early next year. 

Team owner, Lawrence Stroll, said: “Working on the T.50 with Gordon Murray Automotive is an honour and a privilege for everyone at Racing Point. Our aerodynamicists will utilise our wind tunnel to harness the very latest Formula One expertise and experience for the T.50 project, ensuring Gordon’s revolutionary fan concept delivers its full potential. I have admired the design and engineering skills of Gordon Murray since his earliest days in Formula One, so it is a personal pleasure to support this project, whichtruly rewrites the rulebook on aerodynamics.”

Professor Gordon Murray CBE, Chairman of Gordon Murray Group, said:“Formula One remains a deep passion of mine, so partnering with Racing Point to develop the T.50 is hugely exciting. I’ve dreamt of delivering a road car with a ground-effect fan since I designed the Brabham BT46B F1 racing car in 1978. The system on the T.50 is much more sophisticated than the Brabham’s and will benefit enormously from Racing Point’s expertise and resources.”