There are supercars, and then there’s the McLaren F1. When it launched back in 1992, it might have seemed at first like just another exotic ride in the vein of the Lamborghini Countach, Ferrari F40 and Porsche 959 — but designer Gordon Murray‘s singular vision of an all-conquering sports car led to something extraordinary even by the standards of the wild cars of that era, setting acceleration and top speed records left and right while still managing to be (comparatively) easy and fun to drive.
Murray and McLaren may have gone separate ways, but the ambitious Brit hasn’t left his passion for speed machines behind. If anything, his newest supercar proves that he’s still looking to push the envelope.
The Gordon Murray T.50, as the new car is officially known, resembles something of the McLaren F1’s child at first blush. It has the same basic layout: low face with big headlamp in front of a bubble canopy-like cabin, with driver’s seat front and center and two token passenger chairs mounted back on either side; behind that, a might V12 engine that sends power to the rear wheels. The doors open upwards and forwards for both ease of entry and maximum effect; an intake on the roof helps cram air into the engine; a six-speed manual gearbox connects the engine to the road.
But to call the T.50 a McLaren F1 2.0 undersells it a bit. Take the naturally-aspirated V12 between driver and rear axle, for example. If you were simply recreating the F1 for the modern day, you might simply do like the old car did and use an uprated BMW V12; after all, the M760i’s twin-turbo 12 already makes 601 hp and 627 lb-ft. But Murray wanted something new and naturally aspirated for his latest creation, so he convinced the folks at Cosworth to whip up a bespoke new V12. The new engine makes 654 horsepower at a stunning 11,500 rpm (redline, for what it’s worth, is 12,100), as well as 344 lb-ft of torque at 9,000 rpm, although 241 lb-ft or more is available as early as 2,500.
