Gordon Murray T.50 vs. McLaren Speedtail: Which is the real McLaren F1 successor?

As you probably know, the long-awaited Gordon Murray T.50 supercar has been unveiled this week, and there has been a bit of a dispute as to whether the T.50 or the Speedtail is the real McLaren F1 successor.  Well, I certainly have my opinions about that,  but I'll just cover the facts here, and let you decide for yourself if it is the Speedtail or the T.50.

1.  Exterior Deisgn

In terms of exterior design, the photos speak for themselves.  The Gordon Murray T.50 is much closer to the original design of the F1, which is to be expected, as they do have the same designer, Professor Gordon Murray.  The McLaren carries over a few key styling cues, but is overall very different.  The long tail at the rear is obviously taken from the F1 GTR Longtail, however, a feature that the T.50 doesn't have.  Below are some pictures, with the McLaren first, the T.50 third, and the F1 in the middle, so you can judge for yourself about the styling.

 

One obvious difference between the original F1 and both modern interpretations is the lack of any rear view mirrors, as you can see.

 

 Rear styling-wise, neither the Speedtail nor the T.50 have much in common with the F1, although the Speedtail does have the aforementioned longtail design.  One of the most distinctive features of the T.50 is the large multi-blade fan at the back, which aids in downforce and overall power, but does not look even remotely like the F1's rear.

 

The doors are all the same dihedral type found on the F1.  No changes here.

As for the top view, the T.50 is most definitely closer to the original design than the Speedtail.  The iconic roof scoop is still there, but on the T.50 it feeds the fan.  The Speedtail is gorgeous, but a little too modern.

2.  Interior Design

There isn't a whole lot to cover here.  Both the Speedtail and the T.50 stay true to the F1's seating layout, with the driver's seat all by itself smack-dab in the center of the cab, if I can call it that, and two passenger seats side by side behind that.

 

3.  Engine, Transmission, and Performance

This seems like a lot to cover in just one section, but it's really not.  Let's start with the F1.  All the world knows that the McLaren F1 had a BMW V12 naturally aspirated (NA) engine which can rev up to 7,500rpm, coupled to a 6-speed manual 'box.  The 'standard' car could zip from 0-60mph in just 3.9 seconds, quite a good figure for its time, and accomplished in part thanks to a low weight of just 2,509 pounds, and go on to a top speed of 240.01mph, at least so they say.  Now, what about the Speedtail?  

 

The Speedtail uses McLaren's special 4.0L V8 engine, but it is twin-turbocharged, an has assistance from a 312hp electric motor, thus making it a hybrid.  The transmission is a 7-speed dual-clutch auto.  The official performance specs of the Speedtail are 0-60 in 2.5 seconds, and a top speed of 250mph.  Impressive, no doubt, but the car is pretty heavy, weighing in at 3,153 pounds.  Good for a hybrid hypercar, but it can't help the handling.

 

The T.50, on the other hand, stays true to the F1's driver-focused experience.  The engine is a 654hp NA Cosworth-developed V12, which can rev all the way up to 12,100rpm.  The transmission is an X-Trac 6-speed H-pattern manual unit.  Official performance specs have not yet been revealed, but GMA (Gordon Murray Automotive) says they are 'not chasing power or speed figures'.  This likely means the T.50 will do 0-60 in around 3.1 seconds, and have a top speed of up to 220mph, judging by the very low weight of just 2,174 pounds.

 

4.  Conclusion

So, which stays truest to the F1's overall formula?  The Speedtail or the T.50?  Well, like I said, I will let you decide for yourself, but I will give you my opinion.  In my opinion, the Speedtail is a beautiful, modern hypercar, worthy of a alot of good names, but 'F1 successor' is not one of them.  The T.50, on the other hand, is all you could want in a drivers car, and simply improves on the F1s formula without changing it too much.  It is complete with a high-revving V12, a manual transmission, excellent handling, and on top of that is most likely a future classic.  That's my idea of a true McLaren F1 successor.

 

Electric startup companies that are actually promising

1.   Rivian
Rivian is an automaker you have almost definitely heard of if you follow car news.  They are going to make the R1T pickup and R1S SUV, and are also working on an all-electric delivery van for Amazon.  They are also working with Ford on a new Lincoln luxury crossover, after Ford invested $500 million in them.  We will have to see what the future holds for Rivian automotive, but I think it's good.

2.  Rimac.
Rimac was the automaker that started the electric hypercar craze.  Three cheers for Rimac!  They have so far made the C_One and C_S, and have yet to start production of the C_Two this year.  They worked with Pininfarina in developing the Battista, and they are also working with both Hyundai and Kia currently, for a sports car and performance SUV, respectively.  I can't wait to see what else they will do.

3.  Neuron EV.
Neuron EV is a small startup company from California, and while they have yet to actually make any of their cars, they do look production-ready.  So far Neuron has unveiled the T/One, Torq, and Vega.  There are prototypes of each, so I think production might happen as soon as 2021.

4.  Byton
Byton is in the same category as Rivian, with numerous production-ready prototypes, it's just that they haven't actually sold anything yet.  Their prototype models are the K-Byte and M-Byte.

5.  Lucid
Lucid is among the most promising, albeit very slowly progressing car companies on this list.  Way back in 2016 they unveiled the Air concept car as a rival to the Tesla Model S, but so far nothing has come of it.  The Air has some pretty incredible claimed performance specs, though, with a supposed 0-60 time of 2.5 seconds, and a tested top speed of 235mph!  Yes, a pre-production prototype actually reached that speed.  And all this for just $70,000!  Wow.

6.  NIO
NIO made headline back in 2017 when they unveiled the EP9 electric hypercar, and made track records with it.  But since then, they haven't put anything into production.  The models that they hope to produce are the ES8, ET, and EP9.

7.  Lightyear
The Lightyear One claims to be the first ever solar-powered car, with a range of up to 400 miles, but they have yet to verify those claims, as none have been sold, or even tested by auto magazines.  So, I'll keep my eye on them.

 Rivian R1T

 Rivian R1S

 Rimac Concept One

 Rimac Concept S

 Rimac Concept Two

 Neuron EV T/One

 Neuron EV Torq

 Neuron EV Vega

 Byton K-Byte

 Byton M-Byte

 Lucid Air

 NIO ES8

 NIO ET

 NIO EP9

Lightyear One

1:64 Diescast collecting and modifying; The best way to exercise your passion for cars on a budget

You have probably at least played with Hot Wheels cars once upon a time, even collected them maybe.  Maybe you still do.  It's not unusual.  But Hot Wheels isn't the only 1:64 diecast car maker out there.  It is one of the best, but there are other too; Matchbox, Johnny Lightning, Greenlight, and Autoworld are just a few.  Collecting 1:64 cars is very fun.  You can focus only on one brand of car, or just one kind (e.g. muscle cars).  You could also do what I do, and just get any classic model you can find.  Currently, my collection has only about 64 cars.  That may not sound very amazing to some of you more crazy collectors out there, but collecting is not all I do.  I also modify.  My latest project is the Drag Racing T2 Pickup below.  It is not finished, but it is getting there.

I'll admit it, I'm a bit of an amateur.  But it's fun, and if you haven't ever tried it, you should.  I mean, even wheels swaps can make a car look better.  If you want to know more about that (and all other things), then go to this website.  It is definitely the best for this kind of stuff.  To give you an idea of what you can do, I'll give you a gallery of cars other people have modified.  (Note: None of these are mine, and I don't claim the right to any of their designs).  Enjoy!

As you can see, wheel swaps are not the only thing you can do.  You can add parts (fenders, spoilers, huge engines, extra wheels, you get the idea), you can repaint it (either with spray paint, or hand paint it, whatever), you can just add detail to the cheap $1 cars, you can lower it, you can put monster truck wheels on it, you can make a working suspension system, opening doors, or a steering mechanism.......The list goes on and on.  But the best part about this is that it is relatively cheap, and you can be as creative and crazy with it as you want to be.  You can make it look more realistic, or make it out-of-this-world cool, but modifying 1:64 cars is a very fun (and addicting) hobby.