Murray T.25 First Official Pics

New T.25 offers smallness, lightness, and (hopefully) fun

It may be amusing to think there’s a touch of the ‘David Ickes’ about engineer turned enviro-evangelist Gordon Murray these days, but as far as we know the creator of the McLaren F1 has not taken to wearing lilac shellsuits. And it has to be said that Murray’s new T.25 city car looks a more credible 'green' proposition than Icke’s contention that Her Majesty The Queen is an alien lizard in human form. (No, is she really? Ed.)

Hopefully it’s not just the jaunty camera angles in these ‘first official pics’ that suggest there might be a bit of fun to be had when piloting the T.25. Official blurb released with the new pics today promises “class-leading vehicle dynamics” and “a unique, ‘cool’ and fun driving experience”.

It's been reported elsewhere that the car could go into production within a couple of years at a new factory in the UK with Murray's new iStream manufacturing process.

The tiny T.25 weighs in at 550kgs, and will be smaller than pretty much anything on the road at 240cms long and 130cms wide. The driver is centrally-mounted, with a pair of passenger seats are off-set behind and to the rear on either side, while access is via a funky opening canopy that tilts forward below the windscreen.

The design features independent suspension all-round, and power comes from a 51bhp three-pot 660cc motor linked to a five-speed automated transmission.

Aside from the T.25’s miniscule environmental impact, benefits of the car’s tiny footprint include the ability to forward park against the kerb so three vehicles could fit in one traditional parking space. You could also fit two in one conventional domestic garage, while the official statement introduces the intriguing concept of exploring the possibility of 2 vehicles travelling and overtaking in a single conventional lane. Read the official version below:

Official news release: T.25 USP’s and Key Features

The T.25 represents a major breakthrough in City Car design and is a vehicle that has been optimised through design for strength, performance, weight, cost, safety, usability, tooling, quality, energy efficiency, recyclable and ease of assembly.
The T.25 external dimensions create the opportunity to:
- park at 90 degrees to the curb, offering real consumer benefits,
- park up to 3 cars in one parallel parking space - giving rise to lower parking charges.
- increase traffic flow,
- explore the possibility of 2 vehicles travelling and overtaking in one conventional lane. Combining this with the car length has the potential to triple lane usage at peak times.
- reduce the environmental impact of vehicle manufacture (ie: lower material content etc) and day-to-day operation.
The central driving position generates:
- A unique, ‘cool’ and fun driving experience,
- promotes safety and ease of parking as a result of excellent all-round visibility and road awareness,
- the opportunity to offer a single-seater option with retrofit bolt-in rear seats,
- class-leading rear passenger leg room (better than most ‘B-Segment’ cars).
By virtue of the unique door opening system, the T.25 can:
- be parked in very close proximity to other objects and still allow occupants to enter and exit the vehicle. This gives rise to,
- park 2 in one domestic garage,
- allow occupants access from both sides of the vehicle,
- allow easy access to the driver’s seat and easy access to the rear child seats.
The ultra lightweight by design (approximately 550kg) means that:
- component life is increased
- reduced energy is required to power vehicle, giving rise to higher fuel efficiency (mpg/electric battery range).
- a competitive power to weight ratio is achieved
A world-leading 6 metre turning circle will enhance urban manoeuvring and parking.
Body panels in the lower periphery of the car are all mechanically affixed and have split lines which are sympathetic to accident damage replacement, leading to rapid assembly times and low cost accident repair.
First car in class to feature lightweight, low cost independent rear suspension.
Wing mirrors are within the overall width of the body, thereby minimising accidental damage and subsequent mirror replacement.
Design for purpose means that the vehicle has excellent pedestrian impact qualities.
The inclusion of Formula 1 derived materials philosophy and technology coupled with chassis frame design (‘Direct Load Path’) gives an immensely strong structure (‘safety cell’) both in ‘end’ and ‘side’ impact scenarios. This is also designed to meet the cost targets of high volume production.
Flat under-floor improves aerodynamic efficiency.
Class-leading vehicle dynamics
High level turn indicators for good visibility.
Positioning of the fuel filler permits refueling from either side of the vehicle.
Centralised driving instrumentation and controls are designed to maximize drive control.
Six internal layout options with rear seat adjustment (adjustable within 20 seconds) sets new standards in small vehicle packaging – a long way in front of the Smart For 2 and the Toyota iQ.
Occupant capacity of between 1 and 3 persons. Luggage capacity of between 160 litres and 720 litres.
The T.25 has the potential to be first to market for a new “World Car Class” for efficient vehicles, demonstrating new levels of efficiency and low emissions – creating excellent publicity and marketing opportunities.

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Wilburo

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