Gordon Murray Automotive unveiled the T.50s Niki Lauda on Monday on the 72nd birthday of the Austrian legend, who passed away in 2019.
The T.50s were developed in parallel with the car version and were, according to GMA, ‘designed, engineered and designed to provide the best driving experience on the track’.
The naming of the car after Lauda, who raced in 1978 and ’79 by the Murray-designed Brabhams in Formula 1, is “fully supported” by his family and is a “tribute” to the driver. The car contains, just like its cousin on the road, an update to the fan aerodynamics on Murray’s Brabham-Alfa Romeo BT46B, which Lauda achieved in 1978 in Anderstorp.
Niki Lauda, Brabham BT46B
Photo by: Sutton Images
“The T.50s were named in honor of Niki to commemorate his famous victory with the BT46B fan in the 1978 Swedish GP,” Murray said. ‘Niki was a great racer and he was a good friend too, and it’s absolutely fitting that we’re introducing the T.50’s Niki Lauda on his birthday.
“Niki would have appreciated the innovation and engineering detail in our car.”
A total of 25 T.50s Niki Laudas, powered by a custom-made 725 hp Cosworth V12 commissioned by GMA, will be built. Production of the £ 3.1 million track day machine will start in January 2023 after the 100 road cars have been delivered.
Each of the 25 cars will be individually nominated for one of the F1 wins by a Brabham or McLaren designed by Murray. The first car has a chassis plate on which ‘Kyalami 1974’ appears, referring to the first Grand Prix victory of his cars, when Carlos Reutemann won the South African Grand Prix with a Brabham-Cosworth BT44.
“Each car has its own individual story, which is forever linked to the grand prix victory it is named after,” Murray explained. “The T.50s were inspired by my love of motorsport, so it seemed appropriate to create this special connection with iconic racing from the past.”
Gordon Murray Automotive’s T.50’s Niki Lauda
Photo by: Gordon Murray Design
Murray, whose McLaren F1 GTR was at the Le Mans 24 Hours in 1995, suggested the T.50 could have a future in motorsport.
He revealed in November 2019 that he had been looking at the new Le Mans Hypercar class and had already chatted with the Automobile Club de l’Ouest, organizer of the 24 Hours and promoter of the World Endurance Riding Championships.
With the introduction of the T.50s. he emphasizes that the car is designed to create a lane-driving experience like no other car in history, rather than following the lap.
“We had no interest in achieving the ultimate lap time or in creating an overboard and subordinate spaceship at the expense of driver involvement,” he explained.