It’s 8:30 AM in Shalford, where Gordon Murray Automotive is headquartered. We’ve been counting down the past few days, as if it were the days before Christmas. “Four more sleeps, three more…”
Ollie Marriage: Today TG colleague Jack and I are allowed shotgun ride (double-barrelled, that is) in the remarkable GMA T.50 – a hypercar the size of a Porsche Boxster, with three seats and a 3.9-liter non-turbo V12 that can rev at 12,000 rpm. Gordon doesn’t know what the 0-to-100 time or the top speed is, nor does he care.
This car is all about weight saving and thrills, about righting the mistakes that apparently were in his McLaren F1. Our driver is IndyCar legend and GMA test driver Dario Franchitti. The car is outside the door and looks muscular and petite out. The doors swing open upwards.
Operation ‘Let’s see if we can lock Dario in the toilet and steal the keys’ didn’t go according to plan
While Dario settles into the central chair, I glance over the roof at Jack. You know how as a professional you sometimes want to wipe that stupid grin off your face, but he always manages to squeeze through? That’s the face my colleague is making right now.
The cabin of the GMA T.50 is more spacious than expected
Jack Rick: It’s worth pointing out here that Ollie, the incorruptible craftsman, also grins like a monkey with seven, uh… Okay, I’m on Dario’s left – I’m not sure if I’ve drawn the shortest straw here, actually, and whether there is at all. Because seriously: sitting in a passenger seat has never felt more like an experience.
It’s fantastic here. The orange marks the chair where you really want to sit
It’s cozy in width, luckily I always keep my floaties in top shape. But leg, head, shoulder and elbow room, there is more than enough of that. I reach up and pull the door down. You don’t have to slam it shut; neatly introduce the door and the sill and they close by themselves, softly.
TO: The engine comes to life. I expect fireworks and glory, but the earth-shattering, pure revelation is a bit lacking. The V12 sounds purposeful, with sharp edges, but not overly flamboyant. After a few quick checks of the cockpit, Dario puts it in first and off we go, straight for the first obstacles. Some huge speed bumps. I drove up here in my Elise and scraped its underside on both of these things.
Dario says he can’t come here with his Carrera GT for the same reason. You can’t raise the nose of the GMA T.50 a bit (like some other low sports cars), but it drives over it with no problem. Gordon was more willing to compromise on ride height than weight of the car, apparently.
Even at second rank, outward visibility is excellent
JR: We drive up the road and the view from the car is amazing. The arc of the glass panels in the roof (you can also get lighter carbon fiber panels, but even Gordon himself has equipped his personal GMA T.50 with glass, because of the ‘lightness’ in the interior) directs your gaze over the central axis of the car, where you can see the beautiful analogue instruments over the driver’s shoulder. It’s not exactly the same experience as that of the driver sitting in the middle, but you certainly get something from it.
TO: Totally agree about that view. It is much more compact and concentrated than in a normal car. You don’t have to turn your head to see the driver, the view, the A-pillar and the scenery hurtling past – the sense of drama and excitement is like no other. And when I turn my head, I see you sitting there. It’s wonderfully easy to talk to each other as passengers.
Communicating with the driver is a bit more difficult
JR: It’s a bit more difficult to talk to Dario, isn’t it? You soon realize that you are actually yelling into his ear, as he talks forward and thus needs to speak louder. But you can certainly chat here quietly, as long as Dario touches the accelerator with a velvet foot. How is his shifting actually? I can’t see that from here.
TO: I think Dario makes it look easier than it is; it looks sensitive and abrupt. I don’t think Gordon’s demand for a light flywheel effect has produced a forgiving clutch pedal. By the way, the tunnel of the poker means that I have less legroom than you, but I found a solution for that. I put my left leg as far to the right as possible and bend my right leg under my left. That gives the driver a little more space.
JR: Ah, I didn’t expect this: Gordon’s allergy to screens is not immovable. There’s one between the gauges and it’s showing the maps from Dario’s phone flawlessly so far. So good that we’re even ahead of schedule now – we stop at a typical British village pub, which is closed, so we grab something warm and liquid from a typical British village shop and take a critical look around the car. Highlights, Ollie?
The details of the GMA T.50
TO: When you open the tailgate, you not only get access to the luggage lockers, but also a great view of the engine. It all looks very delicate and beautiful. And check out that rear view camera that sits in the middle of one of the fans. Liked it.
JR: And those ribbed edges of the fan blades look like something Saw 4. They apparently stem from a tip from the helicopter industry; it would make less noise without affecting consumption. What do you think of the look? He looks a lot better here than he does in the studio, I think, but it’s not all drama, is it? More ‘the connoisseur’s choice’ rather than a boastful thing… Although a can of luminous paint could change that just fine.
TO: Agreed, but it’s funny when Dario talks about fuel economy and Michelin tires being “quite cheap”; because they are not overly big, just come from the French warehouses and do not need to be homologated for 480 km/h. It’s a £2.5 million car. Anyway, I’m impressed that the fuel consumption figure of 8.8 l/100 km on the trip computer seems to be quite accurate. We have to go on, Dario has promised us a ride to Goodwood and back. Come on, let’s switch sides.
On the road again
JR: We’re on the road again and Dario’s coffee is doing its job. It’s going for the most efficient overtaking in the world ever. It looks like we’re being teleported. He pretends not to hear the giggles of his passengers.
Interesting: our buttocks are further back than is usual in a mid-engined car. You feel like you’re sitting on the rear axle, like in a Caterham, with the car just moving in front of you. I can feel the tires searching for grip before they find it and we are launched like a frictionless molecule.
Suddenly that extra 20 bucks for windscreen insurance is a very good idea
TO: And that noise! It’s epic and I don’t think we’ve even gone past 7,000 rpm. I also like the handling very much, although this is not a car with the bandwidth of a 911. The suspension and damping are lively, perhaps a little less supple than I expected. I feel like it’s a little more direct and perhaps a little more unforgiving, but the control over the bodywork is impeccable.
“The GMA T.50 shows how much depth there can be in acceleration”
You can tell there’s little unsprung mass because there’s no second wheel movement after a pothole – and these roads have been crushed by a long winter. I love how small it feels on the road, how easy it is to position in your lane, the view, the light coming in – it’s all fantastic. Nice that 85 of the 106 buyers have opted for a longer sixth gear, as overdrive. That means they plan to cover longer distances in it.
How does the T.50 ride on a drag strip?
JR: Remember what Gordon said: he wants to award prizes to the T.50 with the highest mileage each year. No kidding. But wait, it’s time for some floats now: the Dunsfold airstrip. We won’t be rushing it through corners today, Gordon says it’s not a track car – that’s what the special GMA T.50 S is for – but we shouldn’t pass up the opportunity to experience the full fury in a straight line.
Dario spares the clutch when starting off, then gives a little more in two and goes pedal to the metal in three. The sheer crescendo of everything – noise, revs, drama, intensity, the muscles in my face – it cannot be compared to anything. Any description is hopelessly inadequate. This is something you must hear, feel and experience.
TO: My goodness, I know that Dario started smoothly and gradually ramped everything up through the first gears, but what happened in third gear was nothing short of shocking. The V12 is so overwhelming, so intense, so direct, has so much violence and precision. I know 673 horsepower is a lot, but for a hypercar it’s not too much.
Which car is faster? The GMA T.50 or the Aston Martin Valkyrie?
I don’t think the T.50 pushes you into your seat like a Valkyrie, but it does show how much depth and satisfaction there can be in acceleration. The way the engine picks up, that screeching intake above your head, the rev counter needle that keeps thumping, that whole soundtrack that is pure 90s F1… You know what – I want to hear how that sounds outside. Let’s get out and let Dario do his thing again.
JR: We won’t be the only ones. Look, there’s Gordon recording it all on his phone, as if he wasn’t the one who personally brought this car to life, screw by ultra-lightweight screw, from brain to drawing board to reality. His TikTok will explode.
TO: Great to see, isn’t it, that it’s still so important to him. And now that we’ve had our first taste, I also understand why…
#Riding #codrivers #seats #GMA #T.50