Robb Report ‘Best of the Best’ awards names T.50s Niki Lauda ‘Hypercar of the Year’

High performance luxury British supercar manufacturer, Gordon Murray Automotive (GMA), announces that its ultra-exclusive T.50s Niki Lauda has been named Hypercar of the Year in the 39th annual Robb Report ‘Best of the Best’ awards.  

The T.50s Niki Lauda ‘Fan Car’ is an uncompromising track-only supercar that enhances driver engagement further still than its road going sibling T.50. Lighter than the T.50, at less than 900 kg, the more powerful 772 PS T.50s utilises every one of the GMA V12 engine’s screaming 12,100 rpm to deliver a one-of-a-kind on-track driving experience.

While the T.50s shares the same central driving position as the T.50, it is a completely new car from the ground up, including its monocoque, and every carbon fibre body panel. Priced at £3.1m (before taxes), the T.50s features a 1,758 mm-wide delta wing, which works with the rear-mounted fan, a new front splitter, underbody aerofoil, and adjustable diffusers, to generate up to 1,200 kg of downforce.

In a special magazine issue commemorating the 39^th annual Best of the Best awards, Robb Report editors commented: “The T.50s Niki Lauda is Limited to just 25 examples (all of which are spoken for by customers eager to secure their very own piece of automotive legend). Named in honour of designer Gordon Murray’s close friend and three-time Formula 1 World Drivers’ champion, Niki Lauda, the T.50s is a 772 PS track-only tour de force which makes a compelling argument that the legendary McLaren F1 wasn’t Murray’s magnum opus after all.”

Gordon Murray Group CEO, Phillip Lee, added: “On behalf of Gordon and all at Gordon Murray Group, I thank Robb Report for this very special honour. It will come as no surprise that we pride ourselves on being the ‘best of the best’ when it comes to high performance automotive, which is why we strictly and always adhere to our seven core principles at the very heart of this business in every product we make. However, to be recognised as such by the highly prestigious Robb Report group of judges is praise indeed, and gives us license to officially refer to ourselves as ‘Best of the Best’ – which is also a fitting tribute to our legendary friend Niki Lauda in whose honour we have named T.50s.”

Already allocated to their owners, each of the T.50s chassis is themed chronologically, starting with Murray’s first race victory – 1974 South Africa at Kyalami – and continuing with each subsequent win at unique locations.

The first public outing for the T.50s prototype headlined the 81st Goodwood Members Meet in April, where more than 15,000 track spectators enjoyed the spectacle of the race-spec car showcasing its exhilarating soundtrack. The Goodwood event celebrated the career of Niki Lauda – the 1970s and 1980s F1 driver whose name appears on every T.50s. Raising the occasion’s significance further, GMA showcased the unique connection between the T.50s and the iconic Brabham BT46B ‘Fan Car’ that Niki Lauda drove to a commanding victory at the 1978 Swedish Grand Prix.

Conceived by Gordon Murray during his 17-year tenure as Chief Designer at the Brabham Formula One team, the BT46B rose to instant iconic status due to Murray’s innovative addition of a ground-effect fan system. Having dominated and won its inaugural race at Anderstorp, Sweden in the hands of Niki Lauda, the model was withdrawn by Brabham to pacify other teams for the good of the championship.