Cosworth GMA

For its first vehicle, GMA intended to revise the supercar rulebook. According to Gordon Murray Automotive, "The T.50 will be the purest, lightest, most driver-focused supercar ever built." It is considered a spiritual successor to the iconic McLaren F1, a sports car also designed by Murray. Describing its approach as ‘unflinching dedication’, the T.50 employs world-class standards of high-tech engineering across all of its parts. GMA has enlisted trusted designer Cosworth, who had worked alongside Murray in the past, to design, produce and manufacture a brand new exclusive V12 engine to power the T.50.

Cosworth's outline commissioned by GMA was simple; the engine had to be lightweight. It had to have the quickest response time of any engine ever designed for road use, replicating the goals set for the renowned McLaren F1. We were tasked with delivering the highest-revving engine ever made for a production car with unrivalled power-to-weight. The brief also extended to aesthetics and aural experience by creating a unique V12 which sounds great and looks superb. It uses a streamlined design with no coverings or belt-driven ancillaries. A special focus has been given to offering the purest driving experience, in keeping with the prevailing ethos of the T.50. Alongside being able to deliver supreme performance, the engine was also required to meet modern emissions standards.

An important part of the outline was to make the displacement of the T.50’s engine as little as possible. With a clear view of the necessary torque and acceleration, and the aim of a vehicle weight under 1,000 kg, they proposed the capacity to be just 3.9-litres while still accomplishing supercar-like performance. It will have the highest-revving, quickest responding, most power per litre, and lightest naturally-aspirated V12 road car engine ever. Meticulously engineered and produced, the unit combines the collective knowledge and expertise of Gordon Murray and Cosworth to be the most unique, engaging, and driver-oriented V12 engine ever manufactured.

The T.50’s V12 engine promises high-end power, 663 PS (654 hp) at 11,500 rpm, and it is also said to be compliant for everyday use. The maximum torque figure of 467 Nm (344 ft-lb) is produced at 9,000 rpm, but the answer to guaranteeing everyday usability is that 71% of the engine’s available torque will be offered from as low as 2,500 rpm. The T.50 engine delivers the highest power per unit displacement of any naturally-aspirated road car engine ever created, at 166 PS per litre. This feat, along with how light unit is, puts this motor right at the top of naturally aspirated powertrain development. To achieve the lowest weight possible the block in the T.50 is constructed from a high-strength aluminium alloy, the crankshaft is made from steel, weighing in at only 13 kg (29 lb), and the connecting rods and valves are built from titanium, same with the clutch housing. All these factors contribute to an engine weight of only 178 kg (392 lb), which is an additional record for a road car.[3]

A more powerful, track-only, racing version of the GMA engine will also be produced, and is set to be used in a racing-focused variant of the T.50, called the Gordon Murray Automotive T.50s Niki Lauda. Power and torque figures for the T.50s have been substantially boosted over the standard road car's engine; now producing 711 PS (523 kW; 701 hp) @ 11,500 rpm, and 485 N⋅m (358 lbf⋅ft) @ 9,000 rpm, an increase of 48 PS (35 kW; 47 hp) and 18 N⋅m (13 lbf⋅ft) over the standard car. This value raises even further, to 735 PS (541 kW; 725 hp) @ 11,500 rpm, thanks to a ram-air intake. The T.50s also now makes about 138.7 kW (188.6 PS; 186.0 hp) per litre.[4] The racing version of the GMA engine has also has had various tweaks, including the catalytic converters from the exhaust system removed, narrower inconel walls, and smaller mufflers, now weighing 162 kg (357 lb). It's 16 kg (35 lb) lighter than the T.50's engine, making it the most lightweight V12 engine of all time.[5]

• Engine type: V12
• Capacity: 3,994 cc (4.0 L; 243.7 cu in)
• V angle (deg.): 65°
• Aspiration: Naturally-aspirated
• Bore: 81.5 mm (3.2 in.)
• Stroke: 63.8 mm (2.5 in.)
• Compression ratio: 14:1
• Max power output: 663–735 PS (488–541 kW; 654–725 hp) @ 11,500 rpm
• Max torque output: 467–485 N⋅m (344–358 lbf⋅ft) @ 9,000 rpm
• Flexibility: 71% of max torque at 2,500 rpm
• Maximum rpm: 12,100 rpm
• Valvetrain: double overhead camshafts, inclined axis, 4 valves per cylinder – variable valve timing on inlet / exhaust
• Induction system: RAM induction airbox – 4 throttle bodies – Direct Path Induction Sound
• Exhaust system: Inconel and Titanium
• Lubrication system: dry sump
• Cooling system: water-cooled – twin-aluminium front radiators
• Oil cooling system: Single aluminium rear radiator
• Ignition system: 12 individual coils, 12-volt
• Exhaust emission control: 4 catalytic converters with lambda sensors and secondary air injection
• Engine block: Aluminium alloy
• Cylinder heads: Aluminium alloy
• Connecting rods: Titanium
• Valves: Titanium
• Total engine weight: 162–178 kg (357.1–392.4 lb)
• Engine mounting: Semi-structural-inclined axis shear mounting (IASM)
• Power density: 166 PS per litre

• Gordon Murray Automotive T.50