The Anti-Hypercar Arrives
Jay Leno has driven countless amazing cars – from the tiny BMW Isetta 300 that helped save the brand from bankruptcy to newer releases such as the Ram 1500 Rumble Bee. His latest showcase, however, takes things up a notch in a world where downsizing and hybridization continue to diminish traditional performance cars.
The car in question is the Gordon Murray Automotive T.50, a limited-production supercar penned by renowned automotive designer Gordon Murray. To further celebrate Murray’s contributions to the automotive world, Jay Leno’s Garage also displayed a 1995 McLaren F1 and a 2014 McLaren P1 – both sharing DNA with the T.50. Leno interviewed T.50 owner and fellow supercar collector Dan Heard before taking the car out for a spin.
Before There Was the T.50
For some history, the F1 was McLaren’s first production road car, with Murray leading its design. It is considered one of the greatest performance cars of all time and remains the fastest naturally aspirated production car. The British marque later positioned the P1 as a spiritual successor to the F1, though Murray had already left the company and had no involvement in its development. Still, the P1 carried forward the brand’s flagship role while competing against iconic hybrid hypercars including the Porsche 918 Spyder and the Ferrari LaFerrari. The trio became known as the “Holy Trinity.”
Murray founded Gordon Murray Automotive in 2017 and eventually unveiled the T.50 in 2020. The analog-centric model entered production in 2023 with a 4.0-liter Cosworth V12 producing up to 654 horsepower and 344 lb-ft of torque. It carries on the shrinking pool of V12-powered performance cars, alongside models such as the Ferrari 12Cilindri and Aston Martin Vanquish.
Perhaps the T.50’s standout features are its 12,100-rpm redline and power-to-weight ratio of 672 PS per metric ton (663 hp per metric ton). Both were experienced by Leno himself, who also owns a McLaren F1. He described the F1 as his “smartest purchase and the best investment” he ever made in his life.
Leno said driving the T.50 in its three-seater configuration feels just like the F1, only more polished and refined. He felt more confident at speed in the T.50 than in the F1, where high-speed runs can become intimidating because it generates less downforce and lacks modern driver aids. He also praised the engine noise and said it can sound similar at 50 mph and 150 mph.
A Modern Supercar With Old-School Values
Gordon Murray Automotive limited T.50 production to 100 road-going examples, with each starting at £2.36 million, or around $3.1 million at current exchange rates. It is essentially a modern-day McLaren F1 that addresses some of the original car’s design and engineering limitations.
For those wanting an even more extreme version, GMA also offers the track-only T.50s Niki Lauda. Limited to 25 examples, the vehicle produces 761 horsepower and up to 1,200 kg (2,646 pounds) of downforce while weighing less than 900 kg (1,984 pounds).
