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Gordon Murray T50 launch


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Watched this today and I cannot get the fan out of my mind.  I know it does marvellous things with downforce but it makes the rear look so ugly.  I kept seeing the Batmobile.  I think Harry was holding back speaking his mind during this video on a number of items.  The motor is a game changer though, even though it will already be seen as outgoing technology in todays electric/hybrid/turbo car era, it is amazing what Cosworth have developed..

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Regardless of all the downforce and high tech wizardry going on ,,the thing that impresses me most is the small relative size of the car eg smaller than a new 911 and the low weight ,,when you compare this to every other current hyper car on the market this thing is a feather weight ,and I am glad someone is going against the current trend of the big HP heavy weight cars ..

Love the fact that it is  Normally Aspirated  none hybrid  a manual gearbox and simple from a drivers perspective  ,I hope this encourages other manufacturers to rethink what a Hyper car should be ..

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10 hours ago, Lucky Phil said:

Watched this today and I cannot get the fan out of my mind.  I know it does marvellous things with downforce but it makes the rear look so ugly.  I kept seeing the Batmobile.  I think Harry was holding back speaking his mind during this video on a number of items.  The motor is a game changer though, even though it will already be seen as outgoing technology in todays electric/hybrid/turbo car era, it is amazing what Cosworth have developed..

I disagree I think the fan looks and is cool.  It will show up in other manufacturers in a few years.  The way he talks through it shows the obvious aero benefits, even though complicated - but the complex hybrid drive systems are complicated and they are everywhere.   The first cars to put wings on them caused people to go 'that's ugly!'.

 

10 hours ago, Raven said:

Regardless of all the downforce and high tech wizardry going on ,,the thing that impresses me most is the small relative size of the car eg smaller than a new 911 and the low weight ,,when you compare this to every other current hyper car on the market this thing is a feather weight ,and I am glad someone is going against the current trend of the big HP heavy weight cars ..

Love the fact that it is  Normally Aspirated  none hybrid  a manual gearbox and simple from a drivers perspective  ,I hope this encourages other manufacturers to rethink what a Hyper car should be ..

Yes - although from what he says the packaging aspect to get more car is to make the car bigger - he calls it lazy, I would say it is 'cost focussed'.  It takes a lot of time to develop and manufacture tight packaging and lightweight, and a small run of boutique supercars is very different from the mid-engine supercar market.  Plus a lot of customers are, err, plus sized.

However I think some aspects of the engine - no ancilliaries, low center of gravity, could open peoples eyes to the possibilities.  A lot of the turbo and hybrid drive systems are about emissions and sounds like this engine has some tricks up it's sleeve (high RPM starting) to keep emissions in check.  Of course the best way to get lower emissions is with less weight and so hopefully others follow suit.

It's interesting to listen and hear him talk and then reflect on what the original 911 was - light weight, small, mechanically simple, large interior, well packaged, aerodynamic.  If only all these things could be dropped into a volume production car again.  Would love to see him follow up with a 911 competitor but he's probably not interested in volume.

GM really is awesome and I love his cranky old man attitude towards fashion and trends (fat steering wheels and shift levers, oversize wheels, touch screens) - he's just making it the way he thinks is the best and you can either line up and buy one or go jump.  

The T50 name is cool but 'gordon murray automotive?'  I suppose people will just call it a GMA.

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14 hours ago, Lucky Phil said:

Watched this today and I cannot get the fan out of my mind.  I know it does marvellous things with downforce but it makes the rear look so ugly.  

🤢

Surely the outlet could have been at least made oval-shaped and integrated into the rear a bit better. Having said that, it's Gordon Murray so it's like that for a reason - packaging probably.

13 hours ago, Raven said:

Regardless of all the downforce and high tech wizardry going on ,,the thing that impresses me most is the small relative size of the car eg smaller than a new 911 and the low weight ,,when you compare this to every other current hyper car on the market this thing is a feather weight ,and I am glad someone is going against the current trend of the big HP heavy weight cars ..

Agree - imagine the 918, for example, without half a tonne of batteries and electric motors. 

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It is great to hear from someone who is so focused on the driving experience and the emotional connection which has been very much lost in the pursuit of numbers. I liked that in the development of the car he mentioned that final sign off will be done with none of the driver assistance electronics activated as its primary balance should be right without these aides. 

I always found it interesting that with motorbikes each new sports bike is lighter than the one it replaces even with the need to incorporate more electronic aides and things like exhaust catalysts (as weight and where you put it is the enemy of agility and performance). In contrast every new iteration of a car seems to get bigger and heavier, even the 911...why? Cost and laziness as mentioned is probably one aspect, but also there seems to be with cars a collective psychology of bigger is better and safer (how else can you explain the rise in popularity of SUV,s that are not as an efficient package as the station wagon/estate, handle pathetically because of their high centre of gravity and massive weight, and then can be equipped with stupidly powerful motors so they go fast but don’t stop or change direction well?) and will never ever go off road.

His argument with tyre size is a case in point, why do we need 20” or 21” rims? Bigger rims are heavier than smaller rims and the weight is in the worst possible area to have it. In the past bigger rims allowed bigger brakes to be fitted and lower profile tyres which did aid performance but at a point this stops. On cars I think it is purely a looks thing and bragging rights) as a new 911 turbo S does not need those rear rims to clear the brakes. 

Again I’d like to use a parallel in motorbikes where front rim size went through a period of change (more gyroscopic impacts on transitional responsiveness than weight in this case) from generally being 19” to 18” then someone thought 16” was the go (bit weird they were) and then finally 17” has been settled on as being the best balance for stability and response for a sports bike. 

Unfortunately for what seems like most buyers of high end vehicles it’s not about the experience of driving, more about the numbers you can quote in the coffee shop... a place where these cars should never be unless it’s at the start or the finish of a good flogging out in the country somewhere (at least it having a manual transmission should eliminate some potential owners.

Good on Mr Murray for putting the driver back in the centre (pun intended) of the driving experience with a smile as the get out of the car and one last look back as you walk away.

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SUVs are popular because it's the promise of a getaway. Marketing. 

The shame of it is that they're now used to menace others.

We used to be polite and courteous. 

 

 

Anyway, yes Mr Murry.

Man with a dream, the means and deep knowledge. 

 

I love the idea of retro vehicle's made new, simple and light.

 

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On 05/08/2020 at 19:54, Lucky Phil said:

Watched this today and I cannot get the fan out of my mind.  I know it does marvellous things with downforce but it makes the rear look so ugly.  I kept seeing the Batmobile.  I think Harry was holding back speaking his mind during this video on a number of items.  The motor is a game changer though, even though it will already be seen as outgoing technology in todays electric/hybrid/turbo car era, it is amazing what Cosworth have developed..

Virtual longtail!  This car is the ultimate expression of function first.  I dont think it looks 'that' great but I'll live with that considering how function focussed the design is. IMHO it makes everything else look clumsy and frivolous.  It's magnificent.

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44 minutes ago, StevepGT3 said:

I love his quote, not sure if in the video or on chris Harris re the ever ballooning weight of supercars “you cannot change the laws of physics, only disguise them”

Great quote and so true. I think that was towards the back end of the podcast near when Gordon compared his car to an Elise, it didn't sound like Chris loved that 😂

Very refreshing take on the supercar. That steering rack sounds amazing!

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26 minutes ago, rego said:

Great quote and so true. I think that was towards the back end of the podcast near when Gordon compared his car to an Elise, it didn't sound like Chris loved that 😂

Very refreshing take on the supercar. That steering rack sounds amazing!

Sound about right, and yes it’s all about the feel, not the numbers.

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On 06/08/2020 at 20:19, StevepGT3 said:

Chris Harris’s latest collecting cars podcast is all about this car and with the man himself, only half way through, but very good listening so far 

I listened to this today, great chat about the T50 and back through Gordon’s history with f1 etc. 

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On 10/08/2020 at 19:50, StevepGT3 said:

Yea, i knew he was a legend, but not quite how much of a legend and should go down in history with just a hand full of others 

Not many people could make a topic as seemingly mundane as pit stops so intriguing 

 

 

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