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 on Monday unveiled the T.50 Niki Lauda, which would have been the 72nd anniversary of the Austrian legend who died in 2019.
The T.50 has been developed in parallel with the road version of the car and, according to GMA, has been “conceived, designed and engineered to offer the best track driving experience”.
The name of the car after Lauda, which competed with Brabhams designed by Murray in Formula 1 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 road cousin, incorporates an upgrade of the car-fan aerodynamics into Murray’s Brabham-Alfa Romeo BT46B, which Lauda won at the 1978 Swedish Grand Prix at Anderstorp.
“The T.50s is named in Niki’s honor to commemorate her famous victory with the BT46B fan car at the 1978 Swedish GP,” Murray said.
“Niki was a great racing driver and he was also a good friend, and it is absolutely fitting that we launch the T.50 Niki Lauda his birthday.
“Niki would have appreciated the innovation and technical details of our car.”
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A total of 25 T.50 Niki Laudas will be built, powered by a 725 hp Cosworth V12, commissioned by GMA.
Production of the £ 3.1 million sterilized machine will begin in January 2023 following the delivery of the 100 road cars.
Each of the 25 cars will be individually designated after one of the F1s wins by a Brabham or McLaren designed by Murray.
The first car will carry a chassis plate where “Kyalami 1974” can be read in reference to the first Grand Prix victory for one of its cars when Carlos Reutemann won the South African Grand Prix, driving a Brabham-Cosworth BT44.
“Each car will have its own individual story, being tied forever to winning the grand prize that gets its name,” Murray explained.
“The T.50s is inspired by my love of motorsport, so it seemed perfectly appropriate to create that special connection with the iconic races of the past.”
Murray, whose McLaren F1 GTR won the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1995, has suggested that the T.50 could have a future in motorsport.
In November 2019 he revealed that he was watching the new Hypercar class at Le Mans and that he had already held talks with the Automobile Club de l’Ouest, organizer of the 24 Hours and promoter of the World Endurance Championship.
He has also been in debate with GT promoter Stephane Ratel about his new non-competitive GT1 Sports Club competition days geared towards cars like the Aston Martin Valkyrie and the McLaren Senna GTR.
Ratel has suggested that this could become a full-fledged series of races in the future.
At the launch of the T.50s, Murray stressed that the T50.s has been designed “to create a track driving experience like no other car in history” rather than looking for lap time.
“We had no interest in reaching the final lap time or in creating an excessively pulled and overly forced spacecraft at the expense of the driver’s involvement,” he explained.