
Meet The Lightest Supercar Ever Made
“We’ve fixed the things we knew were wrong with the F1.”
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Gordon Murray knows a thing or two about car design. And the man responsible for one of the most celebrated supercars of the last 30 years, the McLaren F1, believes he’s outdone himself with the upcoming T.50.
Though the debut eagerly anticipated vehicle has been delayed because of the global coronavirus outbreak, the legendary auto designer promises it’ll be worth the wait. And to tide enthusiasts over, Gordon Murray Automotive has revealed one tantalising morsel of information: The T.50 will be the lightest supercar ever produced.
The specialty automaker has revealed that the T.50 will weight just 980kg. That’s 181kg lighter than the F1 (at 1161kg) and 20 kilograms lighter than the 1000 kilogram target Murray set for the vehicle. lighter than the 1000-kg target Murray had set for the vehicle.
To put that into perspective, the massively powerful supercar will weigh less than the famously tiny Mazda MX-5. Clever design tweaks and the use of ultra-lightweight parts—like thinner glass and a carbon fibre monocoque—are to thank for the car’s relatively small curb weight.
But the components of the car most responsible for its lightest supercar ever title are the naturally aspirated 4.0-liter V12 and its transmission. Despite producing 484kW and being able to hit 12,100 rpm, the Cosworth-developed engine weighs just 180kg, making it the lightest production V12 yet. It’s also 60kgs lighter than the one that powered the F1. Meanwhile, its transmission is 10kg lighter than the one featured in the famous McLaren.
Gordon Murray Automotive T.50 Gordon Murray Automotive
But the T.50 won’t just be lighter than the F1; it’s clear that Murray wants the car to surpass McLaren in every way possible. Earlier this week, he told Car & Driver that he believes the T.50 will be to the F1 what the F1 was to the cars that came before it.
“This car will deliver—and this is a promise—the driving experience of an F1, but better, better in so many ways,” he told the magazine. “The F1 is still a great driver’s car, but this thing is going to be on another level altogether with what we’ve done. We’ve fixed the things we knew were wrong with the F1.”
While the launch of the T.50 has been delayed indefinitely, the Gordon Murray Automotive still plans to build the first prototype this September. Deliveries of the $3.7 million vehicle are expected to start in early 2022, and 75 of the 100-example run have already been reserved.
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