A few months ago we brought you an exciting story about a new project from one of South Africa’s most famous automotive sons. Gordon Murray announced that he is busy working on on a new supercar, called the T.50 (original story here). More details about the GMA T.50 supercar have been released along with a video of the car’s engine run on a dyno. The company also released the first official image of the car, which is due for unveiling in May 2020. Almost the entire 100 car build run has already been spoken for.

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F1 partnership

GMA (Gordon Murray Automotive) announced that it is partnering with the Racing Point Formula One Team to help develop and test the aerodynamics of the forthcoming T.50 supercar. According to Professor Gordon Murray, the driver-focused new model will have the most advanced and most effective aerodynamics ever seen on a road car.

Learn more about two other F1-inspired road cars, the Aston Martin Valkyrie and the Rodin FZero.

A major part of this is due to a 400 mm ground-effect fan that rapidly accelerates air passing under the car, forcing it through active boundary-layer control ducts that form part of the rear diffuser. The fan is part of a unique airflow management system on the T.50. Active underbody aerodynamics and dynamic rear aerofoils enable the GMA T.50 supercar to achieve more aerodynamic performance and control than a conventional supercar.

The T.50 will boast six different aero modes to optimise the car for different scenarios. These modes are called: auto, braking, high downforce, streamline, test and Vmax. Vmax mode combines motorsport slipstream technology, extra power from a 48-volt integrated starter-generator, and ram induction to boost power to over 520 kW. Speaking of power the T.50 is powered by a bespoke Cosworth V12 that is capable of an extraordinary 12 100 r/min. Coupled with a mass of just 980 kg, GMA says the T.50 will deliver the purest, most driver-focused performance and dynamics of any road car. Engine maestros Cosworth have just built the very first engine mule for the T.50. It is a three-cylinder unit that can rev to 12 100 r/min, a few revs shor of the engine’s proposed 12 400 r/min hard limiter. Yo can hear the motor hard at work in the video below.

In their own words

Racing Point 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, which truly 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.”