Surrey, United Kingdom – 4 March 2026 – Gordon Murray Automotive (GMA) has reached a landmark in its quest for the ultimate driver-focused track car. The T.50s Niki Lauda prototype has successfully passed its final Production Approval Test, with four-time IndyCar World Champion and triple Indy 500 winner Dario Franchitti shattering the GT3 benchmark at the Bahrain International Circuit by more than seven seconds.
Following the blistering lap, Dario officially signed off the T.50s for production, confirming that all 25 customer cars will be completed by mid-2026. “The T.50s is the most engaging car I’ve ever driven,” he said. “For pure fun factor, it surpasses all other track-only models, my favourite supercars of all time, and even the race cars I drove to multiple world championship wins. Gordon set out to create the greatest on-track driving experience ever. The team has more than delivered. The feedback, responsiveness, performance, sound, visibility, braking, stability… everything… it’s just perfect.”
The Bahrain International Circuit provided the ideal proving ground, challenging the T.50s under extreme thermal and mechanical stresses. Engineers assessed repeated hard braking, punishing tyre wear, low grip conditions, high-speed stability, and aerodynamic efficiency. During testing, Dario exceeded 184mph and recorded lateral G-forces peaking at 2.7G through high-speed corners, ensuring every detail of the chassis, suspension, brakes, and engine management system met exacting standards.
Dario’s final lap, a 1:53.03, decisively surpassed the GT3 benchmark set in 2001, cementing the T.50s’s production readiness. This marks the culmination of a rigorous development programme focused on driving perfection, with every component and system optimized for the ultimate on-track experience.
Back in the UK, production is already underway with four cars nearly complete. Dario’s sign-off enables final calibration of suspension, throttle response, brakes, and engine management to match his approved setup, ensuring each customer model delivers the same exhilarating driving experience.
Professor Gordon Murray, CBE, Executive Chairman of GMA, explained, “This car was never about setting lap times. We simply designed the lightest, optimally powered, most driver-centric track car possible – with the right formula, speed comes naturally. T.50s is designed from the ground up to deliver the greatest possible on-track driving experience, without compromise.”
The T.50s is named in tribute to Murray’s friend, three-time Formula One World Champion Niki Lauda, whose 1978 Swedish Grand Prix victory in the Brabham BT46B remains an iconic engineering moment. Each of the 25 cars carries a unique commemorative name linked to one of Murray’s first 25 Grand Prix victories, reinforcing the brand’s deep motorsport heritage.
Weighing less than 900kg and powered by a 3.9-litre Cosworth GMA V12 producing 772PS at 11,500rpm with revs up to 12,100rpm, the T.50s delivers a staggering power-to-weight ratio and instant throttle response. A bespoke Xtrac six-speed paddle-shift gearbox, central driving position, and fully adjustable aerodynamics generating up to 1,200kg of downforce combine to create an immersive and precise track experience. Virtually every major component, from the carbon fibre monocoque to the suspension tuning and race-optimized systems, is unique to the T.50s, reflecting its clean-sheet engineering philosophy.
Hand-built in the UK in collaboration with Multimatic, a championship-winning motorsport engineering specialist, the T.50s Niki Lauda exemplifies the most focused expression of GMA’s driver-centric philosophy, offering unparalleled engagement for track enthusiasts worldwide.
