We haven’t heard much about it in a while, but now Gordon Murray Automotive has confirmed its T.50 hypercar will be unveiled in full next month. Complete details regarding the epic Cosworth V12 engine have also been outlined.
To refresh your memory, the T.50 will be an all-new supercar built on a bespoke carbon fibre monocoque platform with carbon composite panels. It’ll enlist a mid-engine layout, with double wishbone suspension at the front and rear, like an F1 car.
The company has now spilled all the beans regarding the engine. Nestled behind the cabin will be a 4.0-litre (3994cc) naturally aspirated V12, featuring a stroke size of just 63.8mm and a bore of 81.5mm. This over-square design gives you some idea of the engine’s high-revving characteristics.
With double overhead cams and variable valve timing on the intake and exhaust, as well as dry-sump lubrication, titanium conrods and valves, and four throttle bodies feeding from a ram induction box, the epic engine produces 663PS (488kW) at 11,500rpm, and 467Nm at 9000rpm. Maximum revs is an ear-tingling 12,100rpm.
These sound like some crazy numbers, and that’s before taking into account the T.50’s weight of just 980kg. Even the V12 engine weighs just 178kg. According to GMA, the T.50 will be the world’s highest revving, fastest responding and most power dense naturally aspirated V12 road car ever. In a statement, speaking about the engine, the company said:
“Murray’s brief was clear – the engine had to be light. It had to have the fastest response time of any engine ever built for the road, aping the targets set for his illustrious McLaren F1. It had to be high revving too, and for this characteristic Murray benchmarked the record set with his Light Car Company ‘Rocket’, which revved to 11,500rpm. And to top it off, it had to be characterful, sound superb, and look good – a clean design with no coverings or belt-driven ancillaries.”
Bolted up to the new engine is an Xtrac six-speed manual transmission, adopting a conventional H-pattern design. And yep, it’s rear-wheel drive with a limited-slip differential. All we can say is, what a crazy thing it will be to drive. Professor Gordon Murray CBE said:
“More than half of any truly great driving experience is delivered by the engine, so right from the start I set the highest possible benchmark – to create the world’s greatest naturally-aspirated V12. To be truly remarkable, an engine needs to have the right character; highly-responsive, an amazing sound, engaging torque delivery, free-revving, and it has to be naturally aspirated. For all those reasons, the engine in the T.50 was never going to be anything other than a V12.”
The T.50 will be unveiled on August 4. Only 100 examples are set for production, with prices starting from over AU$3.64 million. See below for the full powertrain specs.
Engine
Type number: Cosworth GMA
Configuration: V12 semi-structural
V-angle: 65°
Capacity: 3994cc
Bore: 81.5mm
Stroke: 63.8mm
Compression ratio: 14:1
Max power: 663PS @ 11,500rpm
Power to weight ratio: 672PS per tonne
Weight to power ratio: 150kg per 100PS
Max torque: 467Nm @ 9000rpm
Flexibility: 71% of max torque @ 2500rpm
Maximum rpm: 12,100 rpm
Valve train: Gear driven double overhead camshafts
Inclined axis 4 valves per cylinder – variable valve timing on inlet / exhaust
Induction system: RAM induction airbox – 4 throttle bodies – Direct Path Induction Sound
Exhaust system: Inconel and Titanium
Lubrication system: Dry sump
Cooling system: Water-cooled – twin aluminium front radiators
Oil cooling system: Single aluminium rear radiator
Ignition system: 12 individual coils 12-volt
Starter/alternator: 48-volt gear driven integrated starter / generator
Exhaust emission control: 4 catalytic convertors with Lambda sensors and secondary air injection
Engine block: Aluminium alloy
Cylinder heads: Aluminium alloy
Connection rods: Titanium
Valves: Titanium
Total engine weight: 178kg
Engine mounting: Semi-structural-inclined axis shear mounting (IASM)
Power density: 166PS-per-litre
Transmission
Configuration: Transverse with high-speed bevel gears and spur gear final drive
Speeds: 6 speeds + reverse: full synchro mesh
Gear change: Manual H pattern with reverse lock-out
Differential: Limited slip (Salisbury)
Clutch: 184mm diameter – Triple plate carbon silicone and titanium
Drive line: Tripod joints and gun drilled drive shafts
Casing: Aluminium alloy
Lubrication: Pumped lubrication
Oil cooling: Single aluminium alloy radiator
Ratios
First: 2.833:1
Second: 2.095:1
Third: 1.577:1
Fourth: 1.226:1
Fifth: 0.971:1
Sixth: 0.744:1
Input bevel: 1.688:1
Final drive: 3.176:1
Optional overdrive (6th): 0.595:1
Weight: 80.5kg
