GMA T.50s Niki Lauda
First teased in September 2020, the all-new Gordon Murray Automotive (GMA) T.50s Niki Lauda finally gets a full reveal, and this time, no stone’s left unturned. A track-only version of the company’s thrilling T.50 hypercar, the new car comes with several notable upgrades and, by the looks of things, has spent quite a while in the gym (more on that later).
In its first reveal, McLaren F1 designer Gordon Murray promised that the new car would have a ‘historically-significant” official name. Now, we know what he meant. The car is named after three-time Formula One Champion Niki Lauda and seeks to emulate the late driver’s track prowess
Engine and Performance
Like the road-going T.50 hypercar, the T.50s Niki Lauda is powered by a 3.9 liter V12. However, this version has a few design upgrades and consequently produces more power. The street-legal version produces 654bhp at 12,100rpm, while the new track-only version produces a staggering 725bhp at 12,100rpm.
For those that aren’t familiar with the V12, the engine is designed by Cosworth and is not only the lightest naturally aspirated V12 in the world but also happens to be the highest revving.
The engine comes paired with an Xtrac six-speed paddle-shift gearbox along with two gear set options. The standard gear set will result in a top speed of 210mph, while the optional set with closer gear ratios will produce a maximum of 170mph. The latter is designed for shorter and tighter circuits.
The T.50s comes with a weight of just 852kg resulting in a rather insane weight-to-power ratio of 835PS/tonne. To put that in perspective, that ratio is better than that of a naturally aspirated LMP1 race car.
Exterior and Interior
Design-wise, the new car doesn’t look too different from its road-going sibling. However, several design tweaks aimed at making the car more aerodynamically efficient come into play.
At the front, the new car gains a much bigger splitter, a pair of NACA ducts that improve cooling of the front brakes, and a middle NACA duct that supplies ventilation to the cabin.
The back comes with an added fin that stretches from the top of the roof to the back of the car and promises added stability at high-speeds. The stand-out addition though is the new car’s humongous wing.
On the inside, Gordon Murray ditches the road-going version’s third seat and replaces it with a safety fire extinguisher system. The driver’s central seating position is maintained while a passenger seat on the left comes as standard. Buyers who want to save even more weight can choose not to have the passenger seat. A rectangular carbon fiber steering wheel equipped with traction and launch control buttons completes the list of an expectedly trimmed interior.
Only 25 examples of the T.50s Niki Lauda will be produced, with each one paying tribute to a Grand Prix win from one of Gordon Murray’s past formula one cars. The T.50s Niki Lauda is priced at £3.1 million (around $4.37 million), with production expected to commence in Q1 2023.
