FIRST DRIVE - GMA T.50 – McLaren F1 Successor’s 900-mile road trip
### Article: A Comprehensive Dive Into The Gordon Murray T50 Supercar – Based On The Provided Video Transcription
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#### Introduction
The Gordon Murray T50 is a masterpiece of automotive engineering, a testament to the legendary driver-focused philosophy that made the McLaren F1 iconic. In this article, we will take you on an in-depth journey through the world of the T50, based entirely on the provided video transcription. From its lightweight design and analog driving experience to its technical specifications and驾驶 dynamics, we’ll explore every aspect of this extraordinary car.
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#### The Birth Of A Supercar: The Gordon Murray Service Center
The story begins at the Gordon Murray service center in Barcelona, where the journey to drive the T50 for the first time unfolds. Nick Hil, the chief engineer, welcomes us and explains the significance of the car. The T50 is a culmination of decades of experience, designed with one goal in mind: to create the ultimate driver’s car.
Nick highlights that the T50 is the last great analog supercar, a throwback to the era when cars were built for the pure joy of driving. Its simplicity and lack of unnecessary electronic interventions make it a car that rewards skill and passion.
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#### Getting To Know The Car: Controls And Features
Before jumping behind the wheel, Nick walks us through the controls and features of the T50. Everything about this car is designed to be lightweight and intuitive:
1. **Keyless Entry**: The key is impressively light, reflecting the car’s overall philosophy of minimizing weight.
2. **Door Mechanism**: To get in, you sit on the passenger seat first, then slide into the driver’s seat, reminiscent of an F1 car.
3. **Dashboard Layout**: Flanked by two screens – one for infotainment and rear camera, and another for car information like tire pressure and wing angle.
4. **Sport Mode**: This mode provides a more linear throttle map, making the car respond directly to your inputs. The engine’s responsiveness is unmatched, capable of reaching 52,000 RPM per second.
Nick emphasizes that while the T50 may take some time to learn, it’s designed to reward effort and skill, not just button-pushing.
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#### Driving Impressions: Barcelona To The Pyrenees
The next morning, the driver ventures out onto the streets of Barcelona. The first gear change is described as “easy,” with the view out of the car being nothing short of extraordinary. The down angle and narrow design create a sense of space that feels almost surreal.
As the journey progresses, the T50’s lightweight construction becomes evident. Despite its minimal weight, the car feels solid and composed, even over massive speed bumps. The visibility is excellent, making it less intimidating than other hypercars.
The driver expresses concern about how the manual gear lever and clutch would feel at low speeds. However, these fears are quickly put to rest as the car proves tractable, with the engine’s smoothness and the gear changes being a joy to use.
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#### Technical Excellence: The Engine And Suspension
The heart of the T50 is its 4-liter naturally aspirated Cosworth V12 engine. Producing an astonishing 13,000 RPM, it delivers power that feels linear and engaging. Nick mentions that the engine’s responsiveness is unmatched, capable of reaching redline in just 0.2 seconds.
The suspension system is entirely passive, with no adaptive dampers. Despite its short travel, it recovers composure quickly over bumps, offering a smooth ride without feeling stiff. The steering is unassisted, providing real feedback that feels natural and engaging.
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#### Design And Usability: A Return To Simplicity
The T50’s design is a throwback to the McLaren F1, with a central driving position and minimalistic dashboard. The lack of bulkhead behind the driver enhances the sense of connection to the road. However, the car’s usability is surprising for a hypercar, with ample storage compartments and room for luggage.
The tool kit is another highlight, showcasing Gordon Murray’s attention to detail. It’s built into the car and includes everything from brake fluid reservoirs to a titanium towing eye. The design is functional yet elegant, reflecting the car’s overall philosophy of lightweighting.
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#### Testing The Limits: Mountain Roads And Beyond
As the driver heads out of Barcelona onto the motorways, the T50’s performance shines. With six-speed H-pattern gearbox and a fly-off handbrake, every gear change feels deliberate and satisfying. The long sixth gear is perfect for高速巡航, while the shorter gears are ideal for dynamic driving.
The journey takes us to the Pyrenees, where the car’s handling is tested on winding roads. The steering feel is exceptional, with no filter between the driver’s inputs and the car’s response. The suspension’s firmness is noticeable but never harsh, offering a balance between sportiness and comfort.
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#### Reflections And Legacy
The driver reflects on the experience of driving the T50, comparing it to the legendary McLaren F1. While the T50 doesn’t have the same visual identity as its predecessor, it shares the same focus on driver involvement and lightweight design.
Gordon Murray’s vision for the T50 is clear: create a car that feels alive, with no compromise on performance or usability. The result is a car that feels like a Lotus rather than a Bugatti or Pagani – lightweight, engaging, and unapologetically sporty.
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#### Conclusion
The Gordon Murray T50 represents the pinnacle of analog driving pleasure. It’s not just a car; it’s an experience, a testament to the artistry of lightweighting and driver-focused engineering. As Nick Hil mentioned, this could be the last great analog supercar we’ll ever see. If that’s the case, we’re lucky to have experienced it – a true high note in the world of motoring.
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This article captures the essence of the T50, celebrating its engineering brilliance and driving philosophy. It’s a car that reminds us why we love driving, and why analog, driver-focused machines will always hold a special place in our hearts.
"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enw spine dingling isn't it and in all likelihood it will be the last the last great analog Supercar we will ever see and if it is we can at least say we went out on a high because oh my God the gear change the noise the engine the steering wheel the pedals the driving position The View out the noise again the everything about this car it is Sublime so just sit back and listen to it oh that noise oh it is divine we're up in the Pyrenees slaming between cow Pats currently the weather's great and the roads are spectacular but we didn't start here this is the actual start of our journey the Gordon Murray service center in Barcelona and very soon I get to drive t50 for the first time I am so excited but first I need to know what I'm doing and for that I have Nick Hil the chief engineer hello Nick hello how you doing very good indeed thank you very much right what do I need to know about your very precious and valuable car fantastic PS4 yes so first of all you need the key there you go thank you very much indeed that's quite light yes it is yes everything about the car is super light right one of our us Nick then proceeds to tell me everything I need to know about actually operating the t50 from how to open the doors and get in so I to put it exactly a feet in first sit on the passenger seat Y and then uh sh yourself into the driver seat just like you were different in an F1 to how to use the airon charge my phone where to store stuff and what the controls do such as the the 13,000 RPM that makes you laugh as well every time doesn't ever get old thankfully it's flanked by two screens the right running the infotainment and rear camera the left used for car information such as tire pressure fan speed and Wing angle as Nick puts it all all the cool geeky stuff we also talk about the astonishing 4 ler naturally aspirated Cosworth V12 sport mode so GT mode is standard um uh sport mode gives you much more linear throttle map and the car follows the pedal much more so you put a bit of gas on you get a response little bit off you get um a similar response and do do anything else cuz it doesn't make it doesn't adjust the suspension does it no it's just just the throttle pedal map right so you get 12,000 RPM in every uh in both modes you get the full crazy responsiveness of the engine the 52,000 RPM a second get get 52,000 RPM a second we've measured 52,000 RPM a second oh my God so other other car manufacturers have suggested their engines react more quickly than any other in the world yeah they don't our does 52,000 RPM a second Bonkers numbers right in essence to get going to drive away right now that's all you need to know I mean it looks so straightforward because you just get in you understand all the controls really quickly yes because it's simple and it's sort of understandable and then you've just got a six-speed H pattern yes gearbox and and a fly off hand fly handbrake should have mentioned the fly off handbrake because it's really important that for us that this is a car that you get out what you put in so the more time you spend with it the more effort you put into it the more reward you're going to get from driving itly this isn't a car where you get in and in within a mile of driving down the road you think you know it we don't want that yeah the message is clear the t50 is going to take some learning so I don't mind admitting I was feeling a bit daunted the next morning when I turned out onto the streets of Barcelona so here we go then equal parts trepidation and Elation I'm trying to keep the silly smile off my face first gear change in a t50 oh my God that's easy The View out is just amazing I mean you feel like your the the Bonnet seems to be right on top of your toes your down angle is so good on it and the Sens of space because it already feels narrow it's just a bit of a sensory bombardment so PS4 is not a PlayStation code it is the final pre-series prototype before the t50 goes into production one and two are currently doing testing three was shunted into a crash structure and four four is what I'm driving the last one before they start building the customer cars I can't believe how light and tractable it feels oh the engine sounds quite sort of plain and Airy low down and then is suddenly get a little bark of it starting to come in oh massive speed bump this is going to be interesting I mean genuinely massive let's try it no issues whatsoever straight up over this is one of the things they really worked on was not having nose lift because it adds extra weight so you can cope with the speed bumps without any problem that was remarkable that was a huge speed bump no issues at all in traffic this is the least intimidating hypercar super car I've ever driven because the visibility is so good and because it feels small it's just easy to manage easy to place and position it's just so easy to get moving in I think of all the things I don't know what the second guess what I'm going to think when we get up to the mountains but that is remarkable now just how easy it is to manage at low speed it was a thing I was most concerned about what the compromises they would have had to make to keep a manual gear lever in this car how stiff the clutch was going to be how tractable the engine would be at low revs and the suspension feels firm as it's going over there but I mean already just that sense of steering Connection in it ah makes me excited for what's coming later okay so it is goodby Barcelona and hello motorways for the next stage of our journey which means I can go for a Top Gear there we go sixth here look how the revs die away oh my God they dropped from 4,000 to under two and a half that's amazing it just feels like the engines died completely this one is fitted with that longer sixth gear and I I can't see a reason why you wouldn't want it ooh first tunnel time oh there's another one just ahead as well right windows down this time what gear should we go for that's fifth at the moment which is at 5,000 revs fourth still only at 6,000 third that puts it up to 7,000 right ready and a quick flare up to 10 oh yeah right got to get through a toll booth this is the thing everyone talks to about isn't it is can you get through a toll booth with it so righty ho let's give it a go okay so it only just struck me as I was coming up to that toll booth that I was in a central driving position and would need to potentially reach my arm out the window or something if I needed to until now it has not crossed my mind once that I'm in a central driving position car that's how natural it feels immediately so driving around town and everything never even struck me that I was in a central driving position there's General road noise which is the driver comes at you from all sides cuz you haven't got a bulkhead right behind you and there's everpresent engine noise as well and when you're just cruising along like we are now that noise is quite plain but it's just encouragement of what the car really wants to be doing is is playing around in fifth or fourth or third or second wow that's uh something for the senses but it's a reminder that this is a sports car it's not a GT it's not a GT just that sense of weight as you push a bit of steering lock in ah it's really good really good you just want to find yourself want to carve some shapes with the steering for a minute oh the scenery is getting good now Happy Days the t50 makes light easy progress and does so at 25 to the gallon I'd have no issue seeing off a 600m cross-continent cruise but right now I don't have that far to go just a hop up into the mountains and a stop in a layby because I figured out that if Gordon had gone to that much effort with the pedals I ought to at least try and get the most out of them now we're getting to the good roads and I did consider making this the ultimate lightweight road trip and weighing everything I was wearing but I thought well if that was the case Gordon Murray wouldn't have supplied this car with fitted luggage he'd have supplied it with a couple of black bin liners so clearly weight isn't absolutely everything it's just nearly everything for a while I was worried that the steering I thought oh is that consistent well no what's different is that so many other steering systems filter everything out to give you this very smooth Progressive feel the Murray doesn't here you've got real steering feel I mean where have you been all my life you're back it's wonderful but the s sensation of being in this car the sensation of the view out from it of this super clean dashboard is unlike anything else anything else so the ride is so good it's short travel but it's so composed it recovers its composure so quickly when it hits anything so there's no delay and it's not stiffly sprung you're aware I mean there's very little travel in those Springs but what travel there is isn't stiff this is not a lightweight car to operate it's a lightweight car to drive but the operation of it the steering has real weight because it's unassisted the clutch is heavy cuz it's managing a lot of power the gear change takes a deliberate hand this is not a lever that you're going to flick back and forth like you're in a Civic Type R but the reward the satisfaction of it comes from getting all of those things right because when you do when you get it Bob on oh my god do you know about it everything is fabulous the engine loses revs so fast that keeping it on the boil between gear changes so it doesn't lose it is difficult you have to concentrate you have to pay attention and the steering around hair pins it really weights up you're aware of the masses there's quite a lot of heft earlier my shoulders started aching a bit but here once you get up into third and fourth gear sweepers it's just Divine you have such an instinct for exactly where the car is and even when the road is rough you feel how it just flatters you how it just skips and Smooths along is amazing it's just beautifully damped and don't forget entirely passive suspension there is no adaptive damper within sight of this car and the symmetry of this Central seat just soothes my brain it feels immediately wonderful to drive it's just so bitable there are elements of it that are like an Alpine a10r in that when you break and turn you're not really aware of it having to deal with any mass at all it just seems to break and turn in one effort and then you just oh my God it's just it is dazzling absolutely dazzling and the narrowness of it the fact that you always have more room across the road because it's 150 mm narrower than most sports cars it just makes it feel so playful and you've got room to move and not only have we got passive suspension and unassisted steering there's only one choice for driver mode you either have GT or sport my God they've hit a sweet spot with it you have to be a bit in control of yourself driving this the t50 isn't like other hypercars it feels and behaves more like a Lotus than a Bugatti or Pagani it has this in common with its predecessor Gordon Murray has made no secret of the fact that t50 copies the template of the legendary McLaren F1 it's a driver's car it doesn't have the Artistry glamour or impact we associate with other multi-million pound cars both then and now Gordon wanted a car that broke with Supercar tradition so think of this as both tribute and replacement now I don't think the t50 has quite such a strong visual identity and graphic signature as the F1 but I do like the under the radar subtlety of it the fact it's not too ostentatious anything else I'm not too sure of well I've spoken about the seat and one or two other things already so how about the king yes it's very light and it's got a little built-in Allen key here that allows you to take it apart and discover there's nothing more than a circuit board inside but it's a bit Big And Chunky for a small dainty car however it does allow you to do this no other car is packaged like this no other hyper car is as light or as usable as this it bucks the trend it breaks from that more ornate overtly luxurious template laid down by cars like The Pagani hirra and Bugatti Chiron look how open it is inside how much room there is for kit in the flanks now we have done Lots on the t50 already we've done walk around films we've had Gordon himself show us around the car and I don't want to cover too much old ground I want to show you things you haven't seen before starting with the tool kit here we are then have a look at this we've got the brake fluid reservoir the screen wash filler here your tire inflation kits titanium Towing eye which shows some signs of use and the star of the show piesta resistance the titanium nitride coated gold tool kit let's hope we don't need it today the t50 gains 28,400 revs per second only it doesn't that was Cosworth initial figure their latest calculation is 52,000 revs per second idle to the red line in 0.2 seconds here's what that sounds like right arrow let's close these down gently now no big wings obviously instead the funky fan with its various modes now as you well know it's more about stability than downforce but still 460 kilos at the 226 mph V-Max is not to be sniffed at much more importantly though it's got a demo mode hope you enjoyed our impr prompted you shampoo advert there but I'm now going to show you the cabin cuz I've spent a couple of days with the car and I think I've nailed the technique for getting in and out basically one leg in Crouch down there is a handle here to help you but I find it easier to put my hand across hand there and just sort of shuffle my bum in now once you're in I had to go to Gord Murray and do a full seat fitting because the steering wheel and the pedals it's a little bit of a hassle to move them around but for me this driving position is now Perfection there is no better driving position in the world just this clear view ahead and these such well organized instruments one thing I was worried about though is the little compartments here cuz the magnets aren't very strong and I worried they would pop open but no issues nothing has come flying out yet down here there's more storage and the little fly off handbrake with its sort of open drilled out finish it's just beautiful right over this side side the other side of the seat we've got the gear lever listen this is all ASMR in here the click of these dials and the action this is my favorite the action of the reverse cutout switch is just gorgeous I just love having to get into reverse because I get to operate that switch and behind it even more important the starter button under its cover now it will stay up but it's designed for you to just slide your finger in and press it which is what I'm going to do now engineering art that's how Gordon Murray describes it and after all he is the Picasso of lightweighting the van go of driver involvement the Michelangelo of detail but forget the DAR analogies because for me this car is the Pinnacle not just because it is everything I could ever want from a driver's car but because of what it means to me personally the F1 was the car that inspired me above all others to want to be a motoring journalist and even now I can feel the hairs on my neck standing up because it's to be the person charg of the responsibility of coming out and driving the t50 to be able to do it to be able to confront it and just enjoy and relish the experience and to discover that a generation on Gordon Murray still knows what he's doing and what he's created is possibly the finest sports car ever to turn a wheel now I could waffle on but you don't want to hear any more from me so we let the car have the final sayw spine dingling isn't it and in all likelihood it will be the last the last great analog Supercar we will ever see and if it is we can at least say we went out on a high because oh my God the gear change the noise the engine the steering wheel the pedals the driving position The View out the noise again the everything about this car it is Sublime so just sit back and listen to it oh that noise oh it is divine we're up in the Pyrenees slaming between cow Pats currently the weather's great and the roads are spectacular but we didn't start here this is the actual start of our journey the Gordon Murray service center in Barcelona and very soon I get to drive t50 for the first time I am so excited but first I need to know what I'm doing and for that I have Nick Hil the chief engineer hello Nick hello how you doing very good indeed thank you very much right what do I need to know about your very precious and valuable car fantastic PS4 yes so first of all you need the key there you go thank you very much indeed that's quite light yes it is yes everything about the car is super light right one of our us Nick then proceeds to tell me everything I need to know about actually operating the t50 from how to open the doors and get in so I to put it exactly a feet in first sit on the passenger seat Y and then uh sh yourself into the driver seat just like you were different in an F1 to how to use the airon charge my phone where to store stuff and what the controls do such as the the 13,000 RPM that makes you laugh as well every time doesn't ever get old thankfully it's flanked by two screens the right running the infotainment and rear camera the left used for car information such as tire pressure fan speed and Wing angle as Nick puts it all all the cool geeky stuff we also talk about the astonishing 4 ler naturally aspirated Cosworth V12 sport mode so GT mode is standard um uh sport mode gives you much more linear throttle map and the car follows the pedal much more so you put a bit of gas on you get a response little bit off you get um a similar response and do do anything else cuz it doesn't make it doesn't adjust the suspension does it no it's just just the throttle pedal map right so you get 12,000 RPM in every uh in both modes you get the full crazy responsiveness of the engine the 52,000 RPM a second get get 52,000 RPM a second we've measured 52,000 RPM a second oh my God so other other car manufacturers have suggested their engines react more quickly than any other in the world yeah they don't our does 52,000 RPM a second Bonkers numbers right in essence to get going to drive away right now that's all you need to know I mean it looks so straightforward because you just get in you understand all the controls really quickly yes because it's simple and it's sort of understandable and then you've just got a six-speed H pattern yes gearbox and and a fly off hand fly handbrake should have mentioned the fly off handbrake because it's really important that for us that this is a car that you get out what you put in so the more time you spend with it the more effort you put into it the more reward you're going to get from driving itly this isn't a car where you get in and in within a mile of driving down the road you think you know it we don't want that yeah the message is clear the t50 is going to take some learning so I don't mind admitting I was feeling a bit daunted the next morning when I turned out onto the streets of Barcelona so here we go then equal parts trepidation and Elation I'm trying to keep the silly smile off my face first gear change in a t50 oh my God that's easy The View out is just amazing I mean you feel like your the the Bonnet seems to be right on top of your toes your down angle is so good on it and the Sens of space because it already feels narrow it's just a bit of a sensory bombardment so PS4 is not a PlayStation code it is the final pre-series prototype before the t50 goes into production one and two are currently doing testing three was shunted into a crash structure and four four is what I'm driving the last one before they start building the customer cars I can't believe how light and tractable it feels oh the engine sounds quite sort of plain and Airy low down and then is suddenly get a little bark of it starting to come in oh massive speed bump this is going to be interesting I mean genuinely massive let's try it no issues whatsoever straight up over this is one of the things they really worked on was not having nose lift because it adds extra weight so you can cope with the speed bumps without any problem that was remarkable that was a huge speed bump no issues at all in traffic this is the least intimidating hypercar super car I've ever driven because the visibility is so good and because it feels small it's just easy to manage easy to place and position it's just so easy to get moving in I think of all the things I don't know what the second guess what I'm going to think when we get up to the mountains but that is remarkable now just how easy it is to manage at low speed it was a thing I was most concerned about what the compromises they would have had to make to keep a manual gear lever in this car how stiff the clutch was going to be how tractable the engine would be at low revs and the suspension feels firm as it's going over there but I mean already just that sense of steering Connection in it ah makes me excited for what's coming later okay so it is goodby Barcelona and hello motorways for the next stage of our journey which means I can go for a Top Gear there we go sixth here look how the revs die away oh my God they dropped from 4,000 to under two and a half that's amazing it just feels like the engines died completely this one is fitted with that longer sixth gear and I I can't see a reason why you wouldn't want it ooh first tunnel time oh there's another one just ahead as well right windows down this time what gear should we go for that's fifth at the moment which is at 5,000 revs fourth still only at 6,000 third that puts it up to 7,000 right ready and a quick flare up to 10 oh yeah right got to get through a toll booth this is the thing everyone talks to about isn't it is can you get through a toll booth with it so righty ho let's give it a go okay so it only just struck me as I was coming up to that toll booth that I was in a central driving position and would need to potentially reach my arm out the window or something if I needed to until now it has not crossed my mind once that I'm in a central driving position car that's how natural it feels immediately so driving around town and everything never even struck me that I was in a central driving position there's General road noise which is the driver comes at you from all sides cuz you haven't got a bulkhead right behind you and there's everpresent engine noise as well and when you're just cruising along like we are now that noise is quite plain but it's just encouragement of what the car really wants to be doing is is playing around in fifth or fourth or third or second wow that's uh something for the senses but it's a reminder that this is a sports car it's not a GT it's not a GT just that sense of weight as you push a bit of steering lock in ah it's really good really good you just want to find yourself want to carve some shapes with the steering for a minute oh the scenery is getting good now Happy Days the t50 makes light easy progress and does so at 25 to the gallon I'd have no issue seeing off a 600m cross-continent cruise but right now I don't have that far to go just a hop up into the mountains and a stop in a layby because I figured out that if Gordon had gone to that much effort with the pedals I ought to at least try and get the most out of them now we're getting to the good roads and I did consider making this the ultimate lightweight road trip and weighing everything I was wearing but I thought well if that was the case Gordon Murray wouldn't have supplied this car with fitted luggage he'd have supplied it with a couple of black bin liners so clearly weight isn't absolutely everything it's just nearly everything for a while I was worried that the steering I thought oh is that consistent well no what's different is that so many other steering systems filter everything out to give you this very smooth Progressive feel the Murray doesn't here you've got real steering feel I mean where have you been all my life you're back it's wonderful but the s sensation of being in this car the sensation of the view out from it of this super clean dashboard is unlike anything else anything else so the ride is so good it's short travel but it's so composed it recovers its composure so quickly when it hits anything so there's no delay and it's not stiffly sprung you're aware I mean there's very little travel in those Springs but what travel there is isn't stiff this is not a lightweight car to operate it's a lightweight car to drive but the operation of it the steering has real weight because it's unassisted the clutch is heavy cuz it's managing a lot of power the gear change takes a deliberate hand this is not a lever that you're going to flick back and forth like you're in a Civic Type R but the reward the satisfaction of it comes from getting all of those things right because when you do when you get it Bob on oh my god do you know about it everything is fabulous the engine loses revs so fast that keeping it on the boil between gear changes so it doesn't lose it is difficult you have to concentrate you have to pay attention and the steering around hair pins it really weights up you're aware of the masses there's quite a lot of heft earlier my shoulders started aching a bit but here once you get up into third and fourth gear sweepers it's just Divine you have such an instinct for exactly where the car is and even when the road is rough you feel how it just flatters you how it just skips and Smooths along is amazing it's just beautifully damped and don't forget entirely passive suspension there is no adaptive damper within sight of this car and the symmetry of this Central seat just soothes my brain it feels immediately wonderful to drive it's just so bitable there are elements of it that are like an Alpine a10r in that when you break and turn you're not really aware of it having to deal with any mass at all it just seems to break and turn in one effort and then you just oh my God it's just it is dazzling absolutely dazzling and the narrowness of it the fact that you always have more room across the road because it's 150 mm narrower than most sports cars it just makes it feel so playful and you've got room to move and not only have we got passive suspension and unassisted steering there's only one choice for driver mode you either have GT or sport my God they've hit a sweet spot with it you have to be a bit in control of yourself driving this the t50 isn't like other hypercars it feels and behaves more like a Lotus than a Bugatti or Pagani it has this in common with its predecessor Gordon Murray has made no secret of the fact that t50 copies the template of the legendary McLaren F1 it's a driver's car it doesn't have the Artistry glamour or impact we associate with other multi-million pound cars both then and now Gordon wanted a car that broke with Supercar tradition so think of this as both tribute and replacement now I don't think the t50 has quite such a strong visual identity and graphic signature as the F1 but I do like the under the radar subtlety of it the fact it's not too ostentatious anything else I'm not too sure of well I've spoken about the seat and one or two other things already so how about the king yes it's very light and it's got a little built-in Allen key here that allows you to take it apart and discover there's nothing more than a circuit board inside but it's a bit Big And Chunky for a small dainty car however it does allow you to do this no other car is packaged like this no other hyper car is as light or as usable as this it bucks the trend it breaks from that more ornate overtly luxurious template laid down by cars like The Pagani hirra and Bugatti Chiron look how open it is inside how much room there is for kit in the flanks now we have done Lots on the t50 already we've done walk around films we've had Gordon himself show us around the car and I don't want to cover too much old ground I want to show you things you haven't seen before starting with the tool kit here we are then have a look at this we've got the brake fluid reservoir the screen wash filler here your tire inflation kits titanium Towing eye which shows some signs of use and the star of the show piesta resistance the titanium nitride coated gold tool kit let's hope we don't need it today the t50 gains 28,400 revs per second only it doesn't that was Cosworth initial figure their latest calculation is 52,000 revs per second idle to the red line in 0.2 seconds here's what that sounds like right arrow let's close these down gently now no big wings obviously instead the funky fan with its various modes now as you well know it's more about stability than downforce but still 460 kilos at the 226 mph V-Max is not to be sniffed at much more importantly though it's got a demo mode hope you enjoyed our impr prompted you shampoo advert there but I'm now going to show you the cabin cuz I've spent a couple of days with the car and I think I've nailed the technique for getting in and out basically one leg in Crouch down there is a handle here to help you but I find it easier to put my hand across hand there and just sort of shuffle my bum in now once you're in I had to go to Gord Murray and do a full seat fitting because the steering wheel and the pedals it's a little bit of a hassle to move them around but for me this driving position is now Perfection there is no better driving position in the world just this clear view ahead and these such well organized instruments one thing I was worried about though is the little compartments here cuz the magnets aren't very strong and I worried they would pop open but no issues nothing has come flying out yet down here there's more storage and the little fly off handbrake with its sort of open drilled out finish it's just beautiful right over this side side the other side of the seat we've got the gear lever listen this is all ASMR in here the click of these dials and the action this is my favorite the action of the reverse cutout switch is just gorgeous I just love having to get into reverse because I get to operate that switch and behind it even more important the starter button under its cover now it will stay up but it's designed for you to just slide your finger in and press it which is what I'm going to do now engineering art that's how Gordon Murray describes it and after all he is the Picasso of lightweighting the van go of driver involvement the Michelangelo of detail but forget the DAR analogies because for me this car is the Pinnacle not just because it is everything I could ever want from a driver's car but because of what it means to me personally the F1 was the car that inspired me above all others to want to be a motoring journalist and even now I can feel the hairs on my neck standing up because it's to be the person charg of the responsibility of coming out and driving the t50 to be able to do it to be able to confront it and just enjoy and relish the experience and to discover that a generation on Gordon Murray still knows what he's doing and what he's created is possibly the finest sports car ever to turn a wheel now I could waffle on but you don't want to hear any more from me so we let the car have the final sayw spine dingling isn't it and in all likelihood it will be the last the last great analog Supercar we will ever see and if it is we can at least say we went out on a high because oh my God the gear change the noise the engine the steering wheel the pedals the driving position The View out the noise again the everything about this car it is Sublime so just sit back and listen to it oh that noise oh it is divine we're up in the Pyrenees slaming between cow Pats currently the weather's great and the roads are spectacular but we didn't start here this is the actual start of our journey the Gordon Murray service center in Barcelona and very soon I get to drive t50 for the first time I am so excited but first I need to know what I'm doing and for that I have Nick Hil the chief engineer hello Nick hello how you doing very good indeed thank you very much right what do I need to know about your very precious and valuable car fantastic PS4 yes so first of all you need the key there you go thank you very much indeed that's quite light yes it is yes everything about the car is super light right one of our us Nick then proceeds to tell me everything I need to know about actually operating the t50 from how to open the doors and get in so I to put it exactly a feet in first sit on the passenger seat Y and then uh sh yourself into the driver seat just like you were different in an F1 to how to use the airon charge my phone where to store stuff and what the controls do such as the the 13,000 RPM that makes you laugh as well every time doesn't ever get old thankfully it's flanked by two screens the right running the infotainment and rear camera the left used for car information such as tire pressure fan speed and Wing angle as Nick puts it all all the cool geeky stuff we also talk about the astonishing 4 ler naturally aspirated Cosworth V12 sport mode so GT mode is standard um uh sport mode gives you much more linear throttle map and the car follows the pedal much more so you put a bit of gas on you get a response little bit off you get um a similar response and do do anything else cuz it doesn't make it doesn't adjust the suspension does it no it's just just the throttle pedal map right so you get 12,000 RPM in every uh in both modes you get the full crazy responsiveness of the engine the 52,000 RPM a second get get 52,000 RPM a second we've measured 52,000 RPM a second oh my God so other other car manufacturers have suggested their engines react more quickly than any other in the world yeah they don't our does 52,000 RPM a second Bonkers numbers right in essence to get going to drive away right now that's all you need to know I mean it looks so straightforward because you just get in you understand all the controls really quickly yes because it's simple and it's sort of understandable and then you've just got a six-speed H pattern yes gearbox and and a fly off hand fly handbrake should have mentioned the fly off handbrake because it's really important that for us that this is a car that you get out what you put in so the more time you spend with it the more effort you put into it the more reward you're going to get from driving itly this isn't a car where you get in and in within a mile of driving down the road you think you know it we don't want that yeah the message is clear the t50 is going to take some learning so I don't mind admitting I was feeling a bit daunted the next morning when I turned out onto the streets of Barcelona so here we go then equal parts trepidation and Elation I'm trying to keep the silly smile off my face first gear change in a t50 oh my God that's easy The View out is just amazing I mean you feel like your the the Bonnet seems to be right on top of your toes your down angle is so good on it and the Sens of space because it already feels narrow it's just a bit of a sensory bombardment so PS4 is not a PlayStation code it is the final pre-series prototype before the t50 goes into production one and two are currently doing testing three was shunted into a crash structure and four four is what I'm driving the last one before they start building the customer cars I can't believe how light and tractable it feels oh the engine sounds quite sort of plain and Airy low down and then is suddenly get a little bark of it starting to come in oh massive speed bump this is going to be interesting I mean genuinely massive let's try it no issues whatsoever straight up over this is one of the things they really worked on was not having nose lift because it adds extra weight so you can cope with the speed bumps without any problem that was remarkable that was a huge speed bump no issues at all in traffic this is the least intimidating hypercar super car I've ever driven because the visibility is so good and because it feels small it's just easy to manage easy to place and position it's just so easy to get moving in I think of all the things I don't know what the second guess what I'm going to think when we get up to the mountains but that is remarkable now just how easy it is to manage at low speed it was a thing I was most concerned about what the compromises they would have had to make to keep a manual gear lever in this car how stiff the clutch was going to be how tractable the engine would be at low revs and the suspension feels firm as it's going over there but I mean already just that sense of steering Connection in it ah makes me excited for what's coming later okay so it is goodby Barcelona and hello motorways for the next stage of our journey which means I can go for a Top Gear there we go sixth here look how the revs die away oh my God they dropped from 4,000 to under two and a half that's amazing it just feels like the engines died completely this one is fitted with that longer sixth gear and I I can't see a reason why you wouldn't want it ooh first tunnel time oh there's another one just ahead as well right windows down this time what gear should we go for that's fifth at the moment which is at 5,000 revs fourth still only at 6,000 third that puts it up to 7,000 right ready and a quick flare up to 10 oh yeah right got to get through a toll booth this is the thing everyone talks to about isn't it is can you get through a toll booth with it so righty ho let's give it a go okay so it only just struck me as I was coming up to that toll booth that I was in a central driving position and would need to potentially reach my arm out the window or something if I needed to until now it has not crossed my mind once that I'm in a central driving position car that's how natural it feels immediately so driving around town and everything never even struck me that I was in a central driving position there's General road noise which is the driver comes at you from all sides cuz you haven't got a bulkhead right behind you and there's everpresent engine noise as well and when you're just cruising along like we are now that noise is quite plain but it's just encouragement of what the car really wants to be doing is is playing around in fifth or fourth or third or second wow that's uh something for the senses but it's a reminder that this is a sports car it's not a GT it's not a GT just that sense of weight as you push a bit of steering lock in ah it's really good really good you just want to find yourself want to carve some shapes with the steering for a minute oh the scenery is getting good now Happy Days the t50 makes light easy progress and does so at 25 to the gallon I'd have no issue seeing off a 600m cross-continent cruise but right now I don't have that far to go just a hop up into the mountains and a stop in a layby because I figured out that if Gordon had gone to that much effort with the pedals I ought to at least try and get the most out of them now we're getting to the good roads and I did consider making this the ultimate lightweight road trip and weighing everything I was wearing but I thought well if that was the case Gordon Murray wouldn't have supplied this car with fitted luggage he'd have supplied it with a couple of black bin liners so clearly weight isn't absolutely everything it's just nearly everything for a while I was worried that the steering I thought oh is that consistent well no what's different is that so many other steering systems filter everything out to give you this very smooth Progressive feel the Murray doesn't here you've got real steering feel I mean where have you been all my life you're back it's wonderful but the s sensation of being in this car the sensation of the view out from it of this super clean dashboard is unlike anything else anything else so the ride is so good it's short travel but it's so composed it recovers its composure so quickly when it hits anything so there's no delay and it's not stiffly sprung you're aware I mean there's very little travel in those Springs but what travel there is isn't stiff this is not a lightweight car to operate it's a lightweight car to drive but the operation of it the steering has real weight because it's unassisted the clutch is heavy cuz it's managing a lot of power the gear change takes a deliberate hand this is not a lever that you're going to flick back and forth like you're in a Civic Type R but the reward the satisfaction of it comes from getting all of those things right because when you do when you get it Bob on oh my god do you know about it everything is fabulous the engine loses revs so fast that keeping it on the boil between gear changes so it doesn't lose it is difficult you have to concentrate you have to pay attention and the steering around hair pins it really weights up you're aware of the masses there's quite a lot of heft earlier my shoulders started aching a bit but here once you get up into third and fourth gear sweepers it's just Divine you have such an instinct for exactly where the car is and even when the road is rough you feel how it just flatters you how it just skips and Smooths along is amazing it's just beautifully damped and don't forget entirely passive suspension there is no adaptive damper within sight of this car and the symmetry of this Central seat just soothes my brain it feels immediately wonderful to drive it's just so bitable there are elements of it that are like an Alpine a10r in that when you break and turn you're not really aware of it having to deal with any mass at all it just seems to break and turn in one effort and then you just oh my God it's just it is dazzling absolutely dazzling and the narrowness of it the fact that you always have more room across the road because it's 150 mm narrower than most sports cars it just makes it feel so playful and you've got room to move and not only have we got passive suspension and unassisted steering there's only one choice for driver mode you either have GT or sport my God they've hit a sweet spot with it you have to be a bit in control of yourself driving this the t50 isn't like other hypercars it feels and behaves more like a Lotus than a Bugatti or Pagani it has this in common with its predecessor Gordon Murray has made no secret of the fact that t50 copies the template of the legendary McLaren F1 it's a driver's car it doesn't have the Artistry glamour or impact we associate with other multi-million pound cars both then and now Gordon wanted a car that broke with Supercar tradition so think of this as both tribute and replacement now I don't think the t50 has quite such a strong visual identity and graphic signature as the F1 but I do like the under the radar subtlety of it the fact it's not too ostentatious anything else I'm not too sure of well I've spoken about the seat and one or two other things already so how about the king yes it's very light and it's got a little built-in Allen key here that allows you to take it apart and discover there's nothing more than a circuit board inside but it's a bit Big And Chunky for a small dainty car however it does allow you to do this no other car is packaged like this no other hyper car is as light or as usable as this it bucks the trend it breaks from that more ornate overtly luxurious template laid down by cars like The Pagani hirra and Bugatti Chiron look how open it is inside how much room there is for kit in the flanks now we have done Lots on the t50 already we've done walk around films we've had Gordon himself show us around the car and I don't want to cover too much old ground I want to show you things you haven't seen before starting with the tool kit here we are then have a look at this we've got the brake fluid reservoir the screen wash filler here your tire inflation kits titanium Towing eye which shows some signs of use and the star of the show piesta resistance the titanium nitride coated gold tool kit let's hope we don't need it today the t50 gains 28,400 revs per second only it doesn't that was Cosworth initial figure their latest calculation is 52,000 revs per second idle to the red line in 0.2 seconds here's what that sounds like right arrow let's close these down gently now no big wings obviously instead the funky fan with its various modes now as you well know it's more about stability than downforce but still 460 kilos at the 226 mph V-Max is not to be sniffed at much more importantly though it's got a demo mode hope you enjoyed our impr prompted you shampoo advert there but I'm now going to show you the cabin cuz I've spent a couple of days with the car and I think I've nailed the technique for getting in and out basically one leg in Crouch down there is a handle here to help you but I find it easier to put my hand across hand there and just sort of shuffle my bum in now once you're in I had to go to Gord Murray and do a full seat fitting because the steering wheel and the pedals it's a little bit of a hassle to move them around but for me this driving position is now Perfection there is no better driving position in the world just this clear view ahead and these such well organized instruments one thing I was worried about though is the little compartments here cuz the magnets aren't very strong and I worried they would pop open but no issues nothing has come flying out yet down here there's more storage and the little fly off handbrake with its sort of open drilled out finish it's just beautiful right over this side side the other side of the seat we've got the gear lever listen this is all ASMR in here the click of these dials and the action this is my favorite the action of the reverse cutout switch is just gorgeous I just love having to get into reverse because I get to operate that switch and behind it even more important the starter button under its cover now it will stay up but it's designed for you to just slide your finger in and press it which is what I'm going to do now engineering art that's how Gordon Murray describes it and after all he is the Picasso of lightweighting the van go of driver involvement the Michelangelo of detail but forget the DAR analogies because for me this car is the Pinnacle not just because it is everything I could ever want from a driver's car but because of what it means to me personally the F1 was the car that inspired me above all others to want to be a motoring journalist and even now I can feel the hairs on my neck standing up because it's to be the person charg of the responsibility of coming out and driving the t50 to be able to do it to be able to confront it and just enjoy and relish the experience and to discover that a generation on Gordon Murray still knows what he's doing and what he's created is possibly the finest sports car ever to turn a wheel now I could waffle on but you don't want to hear any more from me so we let the car have the final say\n"