Race and classic pictures

Gordon Murray unveils McLaren F1 successor!

Gordon Murray, the man who gave F1 the Brabham fan car and a whole collection of winning machines, has announced the successor to the iconic McLaren F1 he designed over two decades ago.

The design guru's company, 'Gordon Murray Automotive', has been putting its creative juices to work in the past 18 months.

The result? A mean and lean hypercar code-named T50 in recognition of Murray's half century of designing cars set to be limited to 100 examples, with deliveries starting in 2022 at a whopping £2.5 million!

Keen to know what will be under the hood?

As a purist, Murray has rejected a heavy hybrid power unit and its complexities as the car's source of energy, favouring instead a high-revving normally aspirated bespoke 3.9-litre 641bhp V12 engine designed by… Cosworth!

But wait, there's more. The T50 will weigh in at just 980kg and feature, just like Murray's McLaren F1, a central three-seat layout.

It will also incorporate revolutionary ‘fan car’ technology to generate downforce and improve cornering grip. Now why does that sound familiar?

"Back in the 1990s, I designed the F1 as a sort of super-GT car," said Murray.

"it was absolutely road-focused and we had no plan to go racing, which is why it set new standards for packaging and road space.

"The T.50 has exactly the same focus and betters the F1 in every area. It’s hard to imagine anyone doing a car like this again. I certainly won’t."

Phillip van Osten

Motor racing was a backdrop from the outset in Phillip van Osten's life. Born in Southern California, Phillip grew up with the sights and sounds of fast cars thanks to his father, Dick van Osten, an editor and writer for Auto Speed and Sport and Motor Trend. Phillip's passion for racing grew even more when his family moved to Europe and he became acquainted with the extraordinary world of Grand Prix racing. He was an early contributor to the monthly French F1i Magazine, often providing a historic or business perspective on Formula 1's affairs. In 2012, he co-authored along with fellow journalist Pierre Van Vliet the English-language adaptation of a limited edition book devoted to the great Belgian driver Jacky Ickx. He also authored "The American Legacy in Formula 1", a book which recounts the trials and tribulations of American drivers in Grand Prix racing. Phillip is also a commentator for Belgian broadcaster Be.TV for the US Indycar series.