To ensure it remains as flyweight as possible, it uses advanced carbon fibre engineering and a super-lightweight carbon fibre tub.
The new car's overall weight is kept to under a tonne thanks to a 'fanatical dedication to purging the vehicle of every unproductive gram' and a focus on minimising the weight of every component which he dubs 'lightweighting'.
This include sophisticated use of advanced carbon fibre engineering and a super-lightweight carbon fibre tub.
He says the new model will set new standards for supercar packaging, providing driver and two passengers with exceptional comfort, safety, practicality and luggage space.
It also promises the most advanced aerodynamics of any road car and promises to deliver 'the purest, most driver-focused performance and dynamics' of any road car since his 1992 McLaren F1.
Just 100 Gordon Murrary Automotive T.50 supercars will be produced. The price? A cool £2.36million plus tax. So that's £2.83million with VAT
Murray told This is Money that he had focussed the car on 'the thrill of driving' noting: 'Our very different approach is to minimise weight – in every component'
Murray famously used this revolutionary technology on the Brabham BT46B Formula One 'Fan Car', in 1978 before it was swiftly banned after just two races following outrage from rival teams
Suction is key to the car's success. It uses a 400mm fan at the rear of the vehicle which actively controls underbody airflow. This creates a 'ground-effect' force which helps the vehicle stay 'sucked' onto the road.
Murray famously used this revolutionary technology on the Brabham BT46B Formula One 'Fan Car', in 1978 before it was swiftly banned after just two races following outrage from rival teams.
Murray's Brabham BT46B Formula One 'Fan Car' that was banned from F1 in 1978 after just two races due to the advantage it had over the rest of the field that season
The 'fan' also means that the upper surfaces of the car are not blighted by exaggerated and unsightly air scoops, wings, vents, bulges and spoilers.
Murray declined to speculate on top speed and acceleration but expected it to exceed the F1. He stressed: 'I have absolutely no interest in chasing records for top speed or acceleration. Our focus is instead on delivering the purest, most rewarding driving experience of any supercar ever built – but, rest assured, it will be quick.'
Murray said he was focussed on 'the thrill of driving' noting: 'Our very different approach is to minimise weight – in every component.'
'We're not interested in simply chasing numbers, and never will be. But we expect this to be the last, and the greatest, traditional 'analogue' supercar ever built.'
The T.50 team rejected the use of turbos or electrified powertrain assistance to concentrate on engine response. Power is transferred to the rear wheels via lightweight six-speed manual gearbox designed in conjunction with British transmission specialists Xtrac using a newly-designed and developed 'H-pattern' set-up which features five close ratios, geared for acceleration, with a longer sixth ratio for cruising.
Murray says there's much more efficient use of interior cabin space compared with the three-seat design of the McLaren F1, including 'more elbow room' and glazing in the roof
The new T.50 replicates the McLaren F1's 'jet-fighter style' central driving position, with two passengers behind
Even the switch gear, control buttons and dials are of supreme quality. These are the wonderfully-chiseled function stalks for the cabin air flow and windcreen demister
Explaining why he sees the new T.50 as the 'spiritual successor' to his McLaren F1, Murray said: 'Just as with the F1, we have no specific targets for acceleration, top speed or lap times. The F1 was fast because it was light and relatively small. Once again, I have focused on the complete driving experience, not horsepower or top speed.'
The three seater cockpit with 'perfect jet-fighter-style visibility' also features analogue rather than digital instruments and 'driver-centric controls' positioned to be intuitive.
The new car will boast 'perfect weight distribution' but is far from a stripped-back racer, described instead as an 'everyday supercar' capable of GT-style cruising in spacious comfort with room for driver, two passengers and luggage.
Even the pedals are finely crafted from the best materials. While almost £3million sounds like a lot for any car, the quality levels here are stupendous
The carbon fibre seats weigh a fraction of the chairs you'd find in a normal family car. Not only are the made from carbon fibre but are as minimalist as possible
This image shows the incredible interior design, with the driver's orange seat flanked by two black passenger seats. Murray says the car is still no wider than a rival supercar as the passenger seats are close to the middle chair but position further back
Murray says: 'I designed the F1 as a sort of super GT car – absolutely road-focused with no plan to go racing, which is why the car set new standards for packaging and luggage space.'
Murray said the collaboration with Cosworth Powertrain had created 'the greatest naturally-aspirated engine ever designed for the road' which will be recognised by its sound alone: 'You can never get a great sound from a turbocharged engine. The T.50 engine sound is going to be phenomenal.'
From an initial 'intoxicating growl' he predicts: 'As you push towards the upper end of the rev range the V12 will sing like nothing else on the road.'
In an exclusive online talk with This is Money via the internet from his headquarters in Dunsfold, Surrey, he said 'This is going to be a great British motor car,' he said. 'There's a very good chance this will be the last great traditional analogue supercar. And for the petrol-driven supercar he said: 'It's probably the last hurrah – its finest hour.'
Murray said he was able to go back to the F1 and improve upon areas where he saw weaknesses, he said: 'There are things F1 did very well – and there are things F1 did really badly'.
There are even some elements that make him 'cringe' to this day, he confesses.
In an exclusive online talk with This is Money via the internet from his headquarters in Dunsfold, Surrey, Murray told us 'This is going to be a great British motor car'
Professor Murray told us he's proud the car is being assembled in the UK – at a special factory at Dunsfold Park near his home in Surrey – with a current staff of around 70, set to double
Detailed interior shots show the beauty of the craftsmanship. The six-speed manual ‘H-pattern’ short-throw gearbox can be seen here - with five close ratios geared for acceleration, with a longer sixth ratio for cruising
But with experience and a quarter century of technological advances since the F1 – including the ability to use virtual reality goggles in the design process - he reckons he is as near perfection as he will ever now achieve, noting of his new T.50: 'There's not a bit of this car I don't like. We benchmarked every single supercar.'
Of the F1's weak-points he said: 'Some things I see still make me cringe.'
He pointed to elements of the design , such as a 'too wide' central spine.
'The air con was completely rubbish. It hardly ever worked.
'The headlights on the F1 were pathetic. You couldn't see anything over 100mph.'
And the rear lamps were from an Iveco van.
With the new T.50 he was able to start from a blank sheet of paper and co-opt technological advances to create his own no-compromise supercar unencumbered by 'committees'.
There's much more efficient use of interior cabin space and storage including 'more elbow room' and glazing in the roof.
That's even despite the additional provisions for screens on either side of the dashboard - which, linked to cameras mounted on the outside of the car - replace the traditional wing mirrors.
The 48-volt starter-generator saves 18kg on weight on the car.
The 'V-Max' or 'push-to-pass' button gives a 'kick in the back' of extra power and acceleration to the car.
He's proud the car is being assembled in the UK – at a special factory at Dunsfold Park near his home in Surrey – with a current staff of around 70, set to double, which he describes as 'the best team I've ever worked with.'
It is part of the Dunsfold aerodrome complex where BBC Top Gear has been filmed.
Murray dislikes the compromises made when cars are created by 'committees' – citing projects he has helped on with major manufacturers. Stingingly, that includes the Mercedes-Benz SLR which he says 'doesn't know what it wants to be' but required him to shuttle back and forth to Stuttgart for six months of meetings.
You'll need deep pockets and will probably be a real driving enthusiast – or a collector or investor - if you sign up for a new T.50. If future used prices follow the trajectory of the McLaren F1, it'll be money in the bank.
Despite Murray's own exacting standards, he reckons he is as near perfection as he will ever now achieve, noting of his new T.50: 'There's not a bit of this car I don't like. We benchmarked every single supercar'
Pre-production starts in October 2021, with first deliveries from January 2022 and all cars sold that year
Biggest markets will be the USA and Japan with five per cent of sales to Continental Europe and 10 per cent remaining in the UK
Of prospective customers, Murray says: 'I think a few will be people who missed out on the F1 – or those who had one but sold too nearly, he says with a wry smile.
But with a global coronavirus pandemic in full swing, is this not one of the worst times to be launching a new supercar.
He said: 'It's the F1 all over again. When we launched it we had a global recession.
'But I think we're lucky. We were just doing final sign off when the virus struck. . If we'd already been in production we'd have been in trouble.'
Pre-production starts in October 2021, with first deliveries from January 2022 and all cars sold that year.
He noted: 'I insisted the car had to be British.'
Some 90 per cent of the vehicle's components are UK sourced.
He did not think Brexit would be an issue: 'So far we are OK. We don't know the final deal. But I think we'll be OK. Only five per cent of sales go to Europe so it's not a huge percentage.'
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