- GMA T.50s prototype to make Goodwood Festival of Speed (FoS) debut followed by millions of fans around the world
- FoS Supercar Paddock to showcase GMA’s T.50s Niki Lauda track car, T.50 and T.33 supercars all together at Goodwood FoS for the first time
- Gordon Murray Heritage display to feature special milestone vehicle line-up ahead of the upcoming 60th anniversary of founder’s design and lightweighting ethos
Surrey, UK, 10 July 2024 – Leading luxury supercar manufacturer, Gordon Murray Automotive (GMA), has announced plans for an exceptional display of its family of supercars at this year’s Goodwood Festival of Speed, including the event debut of the exclusive track-only T.50s Niki Lauda prototype.
Taking centre stage will be the recently crowned ‘Best of the best’*, GMA T.50s Niki Lauda ‘Fan Car’. An uncompromising track-only design with a kerb weight of less than 900 kg, the T.50s can produce an enormous 1200 kg of downforce, thanks in part to its 1,758 mm-wide delta wing. A perfect blend of passion and performance, its 772 PS engine revs to a staggering 12,100 rpm, providing owners of the £3.1m (plus local taxes) car with a machine in which every engineering decision has been made to deliver the world’s best driving experience.
Also featured within the Supercar Paddock this year will be GMA’s T.50, ‘the greatest supercar of all time’, revving to an astonishing 52,000 rpm per second when on track, and the timelessly beautiful GMA T.33 coupe, both road-going members of the GMA collection. The T.50 is the most driver-centric road car ever built, weighing just 997 kg, yet powered by the world’s lightest and highest-revving, naturally aspirated road-going V12, revving to 12,100 rpm (52,000 rpm per second) and developing 670 PS. It features the most advanced and effective aerodynamics ever seen outside a circuit, ensuring an optimum balance of speed and driveability.
The T.33, meanwhile, harnesses the knowledge gained from the development of the T.50 to create the world’s most beautiful and accomplished two-seat, mid-engined supercar. Influenced by the cleanly-styled and perfectly proportioned cars of the 1960s, the T.33 does without the T.50’s distinctive fan, enabling more classic styling to be employed. Providing form, function, and everyday usability, the car’s graceful exterior allows it to achieve aerodynamic performance thirty percent more efficient than a traditional ground effect supercar, while leaving the upper surfaces clean and streamlined.
In addition, this year sees a special celebration of GMA founder Professor Gordon Murray CBE, with a display from his personal heritage collection, ahead of his 60th anniversary celebrations in 2025. Located at the Goodwood Road Racing Club (GRRC), this special line up will feature:
1956 Maserati motorbike (52 kg, 50cc two-stroke, 2 bhp)
At 16, in South Africa, Gordon Murray could get his motorcycle licence: “Everybody wanted a buzz bike – they were all Italian two-strokes and new. My mum said, ‘no way’, and my dad said, ‘Mum says no, so you can’t have one’.
“About three months after my 16th birthday, my dad came home and said, ‘I’ve brought you a second-hand Maserati. It’s a non-runner, it’s down at my garage’. This was at least a mile and a half away. ‘If you want it, you better go and get it’. I ran all the way there and pushed it back home.
“I rebuilt the engine and gearbox, and then crashed it. We typically wore no helmet, no shoes, and no gloves most of the time. They were capable of 30mph downhill… with a following wind!”
1967 IGM Ford (T.1) (440 kg, 1.1-litre four-cylinder, 90 bhp)
The IGM Ford was the first car Gordon Murray designed and built to go racing in 1965/66, in South Africa. Referring to textbooks, sent from the UK, Gordon built and tuned the engine using a Ford l05E motor for the base. The livery of the car was originally dark green, but for the second year of racing it had slight modifications to improve performance, alongside a colour switch to orange. The T.1 competed on circuits and hill climbs, winning nearly half the races it entered.
1974 Brabham BT44 (T.6) (575 kg, 3.0-litre Cosworth V8, 460 bhp)
This Brabham is technically two cars in one – both of which have significant historic importance.
It began its life as a Brabham BT42, chassis number BT42/2. Built for the 1973 season, the BT42 was Gordon Murray’s first ever Formula 1 design. That season, it was raced by Wilson Fittipaldi in eight races, finishing fifth in the Dutch Grand Prix and running as high as third in Monaco. The factory sold the car in 1974 to a company that rented it out to aspiring F1 drivers.
10 years later it was bought by the renowned car restorer, Phil Reilly. He turned the car into an immaculate BT44 and it achieved great success in historic racing, before becoming part of the Gordon Murray Heritage Collection. The Brabham BT44 was the design with which Gordon achieved his first Formula 1 victory in the South African Grand Prix with Carlos Reutemann in 1974. This is now the only Brabham BT44 in the world.
T.50 mule vehicle – ‘George’
In September 2020, ‘George’ had its very first shakedown test. Based on a modified Ultima chassis, and fitted with the mighty Cosworth GMA V12 engine, George was at the centre of important early testing, evaluating engine and electrical calibrations, and paving the way for the XP programme that followed. George facilitated extensive development work and provided data that also aided advancements for GMA’s T.33, and T.33 Spider supercars. Why was it called George? Going back to his McLaren days, Gordon always named his test mules after British monarchs.
2020 GMA T.50 (997 kg, 12,100 rpm 3.9-litre Cosworth GMA V12, 670 PS)
The T.50 is the world’s lightest, most driver-focused supercar. With a bespoke 670 PS, 3.9-litre Cosworth V12 engine that revs to 12,100 rpm, an Xtrac six-speed manual transmission, and fan-assisted aerodynamics, the T.50 delivers one of the best ever driving experiences. It rewrites the supercar rulebook and could be the last great ‘analogue’ supercar ever built.
The T.50 was named ‘Hypercar of the Year’** in the 2023 BBC Top Gear Awards. One of the automotive industry’s most-coveted accolades, it demonstrates that Professor Gordon Murray CBE and his team have succeeded in their mission to design and engineer the purest, lightest, and most driver-centric car ever.
Leading GMA’s events at the Goodwood Festival of Speed is Group CEO, Phil Lee, who commented: “We’re really looking forward to showcasing our GMA collection in both the Supercar Paddock and at the GRRC. Festival of Speed is a fantastic opportunity for us to meet with our customers, and of course our growing band of fans. I enjoy the opportunity to get up close to the action and the people – the sights, the sounds, and especially the GMA V12 – it’s a special place with a wonderful atmosphere for car fanatics.”
Gordon Murray Automotive adheres to seven core brand principles in all of its products: Driving Perfection, Lightweight, Engineering Art, Premium Brand, A Return to Beauty, Exclusivity, and The Customer Journey.
For more information about GMA, its products, and the company’s new headquarters at Highams Park in Surrey, visit GordonMurrayAutomotive.com.
* T.50s was named Best of the best by Robb Report in 2024.
** T.50 was named Hypercar of the Year by BBC Top Gear in 2023.
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Photos
Download a selection of images of the new GMA HQ at Highams Park, plus shots of the GMA T.50 | T.50s Niki Lauda | T.33 | T.33 Spider here.
Media contact
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Social media
Facebook: @GordonMurrayAutomotive
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YouTube: Gordon Murray Automotive channel
Notes to Editors
Gordon Murray Group
The UK-based Gordon Murray Group comprises Gordon Murray Automotive and Gordon Murray Advanced Engineering.
Gordon Murray Automotive (GMA) is a UK-based global luxury brand dedicated to creating and manufacturing the world’s greatest driving cars. These ultra-exclusive supercars – the T.50, T.50s, T.33, and T.33 Spider – are engineered and designed without compromise to provide unrivalled driving experiences and driver-centric connection.
Gordon Murray Automotive adheres to seven core brand principles in all its products: Driving Perfection, Lightweight, Engineering Art, Premium Brand, A Return to Beauty, Exclusivity, and The Customer Journey.
Gordon Murray Automotive – the supercars
T.50: The world’s most driver-centric supercar. Central driving position, three seats. Active and fan-assisted aerodynamics. 3.9 litre mid-mounted Cosworth GMA V12 engine producing 670 PS and capable of 12,100 rpm. Six-speed manual gearbox. 997 kg dry weight. Limited production run of 100.
Full news release, technical specifications, imagery and videos: T.50 press kit
T.50s: The track-only version of the T.50. Central driving position, two seats. 3.9 litre mid-mounted Cosworth GMA.s V12 engine producing 772 PS and capable of 12,100 rpm. Instantaneous Gearshift six-speed paddle-shift gearbox. Active and fan-assisted aerodynamics. 890 kg dry weight. Limited production run of 25.
Full news release, technical specifications, imagery and videos: T.50s press kit
T.33: The world’s ultimate two-seater V12 coupe supercar. Full EU and Federal homologation. Passive Boundary Layer Control aerodynamics. 3.9 litre mid-mounted Cosworth GMA.2 V12 engine producing 617 PS and capable of 11,100 rpm. Six-speed manual gearbox. 1,090 kg dry weight. Limited production run of 100.
Full news release, technical specifications, imagery and videos: T.33 press kit
T.33 Spider: A visceral open-top V12 coupe supercar. Full EU and Federal homologation. Passive Boundary Layer Control aerodynamics. 3.9 litre mid-mounted Cosworth GMA.2 V12 engine producing 617 PS and capable of 11,100 rpm. Six-speed manual gearbox. 1,108 kg dry weight. Limited production run of 100.
Full news release, technical specifications, imagery and videos: T.33 Spider press kit
Professor Gordon Murray, CBE – Executive Chairman, Gordon Murray Group
Having spent 20 years as Technical Director to two Formula One teams from 1969-1990, Gordon Murray has a wealth of technical, design, and engineering experience. At Brabham he was instrumental in two world championship wins (1981 and 1983) before three consecutive championship wins with McLaren Racing (1988, 1989, and 1990). In 1990 – after 50 Grand Prix wins – Gordon moved away from Formula One to establish a new company for the group, McLaren Cars Limited.
His first project there, the F1 road car, is still regarded as one of the world’s best-engineered cars. A racing version won two world sports car championships and the Le Mans 24-hour race in 1995. McLaren Cars then completed several other successful projects culminating in the Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren.
Gordon left McLaren in 2005 to set up Gordon Murray Design in 2007. The innovative British company became a world leader in automotive design, having a complete in-house capability for design, prototyping, and development.
In 2017, Gordon Murray celebrated the company’s 10-year anniversary at a special event, named ‘One Formula’. Gordon also marked the 25th production anniversary of the iconic F1 road car, and his 50th year of design and engineering.
In May 2019, Professor Gordon Murray was made a Commander of the British Empire (CBE) in the Queen’s New Year Honours in recognition of his contributions to the motorsport and automotive sectors over the past 50 years. Having formed Gordon Murray Automotive, the T.50 supercar was announced in 2019 and revealed to the world in 2020. Gordon led the team to create the T.50s track car – revealed in 2021, the T.33 coupe – unveiled in 2022, plus the T.33 Spider – first shown in 2023.
Phillip Lee – CEO, Gordon Murray Group
Phillip Lee qualified as a Chartered Accountant and worked for PwC (PricewaterhouseCoopers) for four years. After qualifying, he moved into industry and has remained in manufacturing throughout his career.
Phil has worked in the automotive industry for more than 20 years. In 2004, Phil joined Plastic Omnium and worked in director positions in China, Europe, USA, and South America. In all the roles, the greatest achievement was restructuring and managing change with a major focus on delivering performance.
In 2015, Phil returned to the UK and joined the Geely Group of Companies. The first project was with the London Taxi Company, where he was responsible for the next TX5 vehicle along with a new plant and onboarding of a brand-new team.
2017 saw a move to Group Lotus where Phil was responsible for overseeing the acquisition of Lotus and subsequently went on to various roles including CFO and Interim CEO roles. The company’s projects, including Evija, Emira, and Electra were all developed under the directorship of Phil and are the key products in the transformation of Lotus into a volume production supplier of premium vehicles.
In 2020, Phil joined the Gordon Murray Group and has been responsible for delivering the T.50, growth of the group, and development of the team. In April 2022, Phil became the CEO of Gordon Murray Group and now leads the group into the next chapter of development and growth.