It was a nice touch to name the track-only version of the T.50 after Niki Lauda. Obviously it was a tribute to the great man generally, and to his victory at the 1978 Swedish Grand Prix specifically, where the Gordon Murray-designed Brabham BT46B earned its famous victory; the fame being chiefly attributed to the car’s use of a ground effect-inducing fan. That was immediately declared an unfair advantage. Nearly fifty years later, at great cost, the T.50s is returning that advantage to the track.
Despite being revealed three years ago, the car itself is still technically in its development stage as GMA continues to build the road version of the T.50. With manufacturing now assigned to the firm’s new facility at Highams Park, production of the trackday variant is now front of mind for the firm - a fact signified by confirmation that the T.50s will make its global dynamic debut alongside the T.33 mule at the 81st Goodwood Members Meet this weekend.
Alongside the prospect of seeing the 772hp, 12,100rpm-capable car in action, visitors will also get to ponder which of the 25 commemorative names they would prefer to see on their (fantasy) T.50s. The decision to allocate a race victory to each car was announced when the model was first launched, but now GMA has confirmed specifically which names it has chosen, having already agreed them with buyers.
The first, marking Murray’s kick-off win at the 1974 South African Grand Prix at Kyalami we knew about. The remainder, in chronological order, are as follows (deep breath): 1974 USA at Watkins Glen; 1975 Brazil at Interlagos; 1975 Germany at Nürburgring; 1978 Sweden at Anderstorp; 1980 Italy at Imola; 1980 Netherlands at Zandvoort; 1981 Argentina at Buenos Aires; 1982 Monte Carlo at Monaco; 1982 Canada at Montreal; 1983 Brazil at Rio; 1983 Italy at Monza; 1983 UK at Brands Hatch; 1984 USA at Detroit; 1985 France at Paul Ricard; 1988 Mexico at Mexico City; 1988 UK at Silverstone; 1988 Belgium at Spa; 1988 Portugal at Estoril; 1988 Spain at Jerez; 1988 Japan at Suzuka; 1988 Germany at Hockenheim; 1988 Hungary at Hungaroring; 1988 Australia at Adelaide; 1995 France at La Sarthe.
Hang on a minute, you’re thinking: 1995 France at La Sarthe? Yep, that’s right - there are 24 GP wins, and one ‘special endurance race victory’. So one very lucky buyer gets the T.50s that commemorates the McLaren F1 GTR’s memorable victory at that year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans. Murray’s former employer and close neighbour will be delighted. Our other personal favourite is the 1988 Grand Prix at Silverstone; marking the 40th anniversary of the circuit, and the only race of Ayrton Senna’s triumphant season where McLaren-Honda didn’t secure pole. But that’s just us.
“The dynamic debuts of the GMA T.33 mule and GMA T.50s XP1 mark an important milestone in the development of both supercars,” noted Gordon Murray. “I’m also proud that we will participate in honouring a man who was a one-of-a-kind racer and a great friend by showcasing the T.50s Niki Lauda at Goodwood. Additionally, revealing the 25 historically significant motor racing names for our track-only T.50s is the perfect way to celebrate a favourite event for me and the whole GMA team.”
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