There are supercars, but then there are hypercars. Not only are these represent what’s essentially the pinnacle of high performance road cars, these are incredibly rare. Spotting one is an event, but getting close to one is an occasion.
While we were covering cars at the 2025 Bangkok International Motor Show, we stumbled upon a seemingly simple display. But that display had something very special, indeed. That car? The Gordon Murray Automotive T.50, simply known as the GMA T.50.
Sure, it doesn’t have an exotic sounding name, but the GMA T.50 is a hypercar in every sense of the word. It’s a bit of an ‘if you know, you know’ kind of car, but the genius behind it is amazing.
OTHER STORIES YOU MIGHT HAVE MISSED:
We’re pretty sure the BYD eMax 7 is coming here soon
The Toyota Tamaraw will get an ambulance version soon
Gordon Murray might not be well known to the casual passerby, but his name is legendary in the halls of automotive history. To oversimplify, Gordon Murray and his team are the folks behind the McLaren F1. It’s also worth pointing out that Murray designed Formula 1 cars from 1969 to 1991. And let’s not forget that he was instrumental in McLaren’s dominant years from ’87 to ’91. Yes, he was the man behind the championship winning cars of Alain Prost and Ayrton Senna.
So, what is the T.50, then? As it came from the mind of the man that made the McLaren F1, it aims to correct all the ‘mistakes’ that were made with its spiritual predecessor. Besides, Murray was, and still is, aware of all the shortcomings of the F1.
He was quoted saying “the spine is 50 mm too wide, the headlamps are like glow worms in a jar, the air-con was hopeless, the brakes squeak, the clutch needs adjusting every 5,000 miles, the fuel tank bag replacing every five years, loading luggage in the lockers was a pain. This all stuck in my head.” Props to the man being self aware and didn’t inflate his own ego.
How is it a hypercar? Well, it goes beyond the looks. The design, by the way, has some elements of the F1 in it, but seemingly made more compact and distilled. The thing is, everything you see there is functional. Every crease, curve, duct, and vent is there to make it fast on the straights and on corners. That’s all because of Murray’s aversion to use active spoilers.
Also, you see that fan at the back? It’s not for aesthetic purposes. See, the fan at the back draws air from under the chassis, sucking it to the ground. It’s also the reason why you don’t see a tall wing sticking out the back. Another thing about that fan is that it came from a ‘70s Formula 1 car, the Brabham BT46B. The BT46B, also known as the fan car, worked a little too well with Niki Lauda saying it went faster around the bends when you stepped on the throttle. It won its one and only outing before it was subsequently banned from competition.
But what makes it even more special is the engine. Forget downsized turbocharging and electrification. The GMA T.50’s engine is gloriously naturally aspirated, complete with twelve cylinders underneath its clamshell. It’s relatively compact at just 4.0-liters, but it makes 654hp and 467Nm. It’s not the 1,000hp hypercars of today, but the T.50 is built for purpose. Besides, we wouldn’t complain about a 0 to 100kph time of just 2.8 seconds and a top speed of 364kph.
This isn’t a hypercar for posing. It’s begging to be driven hard on track. Oh, and did we mention it has an honest to goodness six-speed manual transmission? With specs and engineering like that, it’s worthy of being called the kin of the McLaren F1.
For us, getting up close to it was quite the experience, and we’re glad to see it. If anything, it might be the only time we’ll ever be near one as only 100 will be built.
What a sight, indeed.
