In 2017, Murray founded Gordon Murray Automotive and a design consultancy firm called Gordon Murray Design. The design side of things was involved with the rebirth of TVR, but also a Smart-esque city car called the T.25 with an electric version called the T.27. But Gordon Murray Automotive was responsible for the T.50 – the real spiritual successor to the McLaren F1 (sorry, Speedtail.)
It’s an insane piece of engineering and quite likely the thunderous finale for the enthusiast car as we know it now. The T.50 is powered by a naturally-aspirated Cosworth-built 3.9-liter V12 that revs out to 12,100 rpm, making 650 hp on the way. And, it’s only fitted with a manual from the factory. In true Murray tradition, it’s not just fast and loud. The engine weighs just 392 pounds, and the car 2,174 pounds in total. The math delivers a car with a power-to-weight ratio of 672 hp per ton and a specific output of 163.7 hp per liter.
That puts the T.50 in the same class as hypercars like the Aston Martin Valkyrie and the Mercedes-AMG One. Except it has a manual transmission. Following the T.50 will be the US road legal T.33 super-GT. If that wasn’t enough insane cars for Murray to be involved with right now, he also has a hand in the next TVR Griffith due as a 2024 model.
