Watch Gordon Murray’s T.50 engine mule rev to 12,100rpm

Twelve cylinders, 3.9-litres, no turbos, 12,100rpm, 485kW and 450Nm, 980kg, and only 100 to be built. That is what to expect from Gordon Murray Automotive’s T.50 supercar.

But the test engine for the Cosworth-developed V12? A Three cylinder.

4

Recently shown off in a video depicting its high-rpm revving and emissions testing, the three-cylinder is just a quarter of the ‘GMM IC3’ engine that will rest behind the driver in the T.50.

Murray, a purist when it comes to engine aspiration and vehicle dynamics, has shunned the forced induction and masses of weight most supercars opt for, instead using his simplified (yet fussy) design approach to create a car that will be, as he says, the last true analogue supercar.

In an interview featured in the current (March 2020) issue of MOTOR, Murray says he designed the T.50 as a halo for the Gordon Murray Automotive (GMA) brand, meaning it needed to follow his principles closely.

No turbos, low weight, complete feedback from car to driver. He says turbos will always lack the immediate throttle response of a naturally aspirated engine.

4

“No matter what the manufacturers tell you, they always have lag,” he says.

“The V12 is all-new and bears no resemblance whatsoever to the [Cosworth-designed Aston Martin] Valkyrie’s engine. It’s also much lighter than the Valkyrie’s V12. It’s likely to be the last great V12.

“It will also be the lightest, the highest revving and have the fastest engine response.

“The lack of engagement of modern supercars has happened for a few reasons. First, they’re nearly all turbocharged and I don’t think you’ll ever get a turbo to have the throttle response of a good non-turbo.”