Formula 1 design legend Gordon Murray has named the new trackday version of his upcoming T.50 supercar in honor of three-time world champion Niki Lauda.
Gordon Murray Automotive unveiled the T.50s Niki Lauda on Monday, the 72nd anniversary of the Austrian legend who passed away in 2019.
Developed in parallel with the road version of the car, the T.50s was “conceived, designed and engineered to provide the ultimate track driving experience”, according to GMA.
The name of the car after Lauda, who raced in Formula 1 in the Murray-designed Brabhams in 1978 and 79, is “fully supported” by his family and is a “tribute” to the driver.
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The car, like its on-road cousin, features an update to the aerodynamics of the fan-car on Murray’s Brabham-Alfa Romeo BT46B, which brought Lauda to victory in the 1978 Swedish Grand Prix at Anderstorp.
“The T.50s was named in Niki’s honor to commemorate his famous victory with the BT46B fan car in the 1978 Swedish GP,” said Murray.
“Niki was a great driver and a good friend too, and it is absolutely fitting that we launch the T.50s Niki Lauda on his birthday.
“Niki would have appreciated the innovation and technical details in our car.”
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A total of 25 T.50 Niki Laudas will be built, powered by a custom-built 725 hp Cosworth V12 on behalf of GMA.
Production of the £ 3.1 million track-day machine will begin in January 2023 after the 100 road cars are delivered.
Each of the 25 cars will be individually designated after one of the F1 wins by a Murray-designed Brabham or McLaren.
The first car will bear a chassis plate with the text ‘Kyalami 1974’ in honor of the first Grand Prix victory of one of its cars when Carlos Reutemann triumphed in the South African Grand Prix with a Brabham-Cosworth BT44.
“Each car has its own story and is forever linked to the Grand Prix victory for which it is named,” explains Murray.
“The T.50s was inspired by my love of motorsport, so I thought it would be fitting to create this special connection with iconic races of the past.”
Murray, whose McLaren F1 GTR won the Le Mans 24 Hours in 1995, has suggested that the T.50 could have a future in motorsport.
He revealed in November 2019 that he was looking at the new Le Mans Hypercar class and had already had discussions with the Automobile Club de l’Ouest, organizer of the 24 Hours and promoter of the World Endurance Championship.
He has also spoken with GT promoter Stephane Ratel about his new non-competitive GT1 Sports Club track days targeting cars like the Aston Martin Valkyrie and McLaren Senna GTR.
Ratel has suggested that this could grow into a full racing series in the future.
At the launch of the T.50s, Murray emphasized that the T50.s is designed “to create a track driving experience like no other car in history” rather than chasing lap time.
“We had no interest in achieving the ultimate lap time or creating a spaceship that had too many tires and too much take-off at the expense of driver involvement,” he explained.