Dario Franchitti is set to take to the track at this year’s Goodwood Festival of Speed with Gordon Murray Automotive’s T.50 supercar and two ground-breaking Gordon Murray-designed heritage cars – the LCC Rocket and the Brabham BT44b – being driven up the famous 1.16-mile hill.
Dario Franchitti MBE: “The Goodwood Festival of Speed is one of the most special events in the world and it’s going to be a special privilege to be driving some of Gordon’s greatest automotive creations up the famous hillclimb course.
“Of course, I am especially delighted to be driving the T.50 in front of Goodwood’s hugely enthusiastic crowds. It’s such a special supercar. This week I have had the pleasure of living with it, comfortably commuting up and down the UK’s motorways. This weekend I will be blasting it up the hill, using every last rev of that glorious V12. If that’s not the definition of a multi-dimensional supercar, I don’t know what is.”
T.50 is powered by Cosworth’s GMA 3.9-litre V12, the world’s lightest, highest revving, most power dense naturally aspirated engine and has the most advanced and effective aerodynamics ever seen on a road car, will take to the track twice per day from Thursday 13th to Sunday 16th July. T.50 is on display in the Supercar paddock, shelter 500.
Professor Gordon Murray CBE: “From the first touch of the titanium throttle pedal to the V12 screaming at 12,100rpm, the driver experience will surpass any supercar ever built. No other road car can deliver the package of power, instant responsiveness and driver feedback in such a direct and focused way while remaining comfortable, refined and usable every day.”
The LCC Rocket, weighing just 370kg, is an ultra-lightweight car combined the best of motorcycle technology of its time and was the result of Gordon’s friendship with legendary British racing driver and engineer Chris Craft, who also drove the Duckhams Ford LM at Le Mans. Drawing on Gordon’s many years of Formula One design, the Yamaha engine and gearbox were mated with a unique tandem seat space framed chassis.
Festival of Speed will celebrate Le Mans 24 Hours centenary during the weekend and the LCC Rocket will join the celebrations.
Professor Gordon Murray CBE famously stated: “If I ever want to teach somebody about light weight and low inertia, I say get in a Rocket and drive it for a half-hour. It’s the ultimate lesson.”
The Brabham Ford BT44b was a development of the successful BT44, with a step forward in aerodynamic performance. Powered by a 460hp Ford 3.0-litre V8, it gave Carlos Pace his first GP win at his home event at the 1975 Brazil Grand Prix. Brabham teammate Carlos Reutemann also took it to victory at the 1975 German GP. The BT44 was the first GP car to utilise rising rate pull rod suspension and have the rear suspension directly attached to the engine.
About Dario Franchitti, MBE
Scottish born Franchitti is a three-time Indianapolis 500 winner, four-time IndyCar Champion and the 2008 Daytona 24 hour winner. Dario is currently working as a commentator for the all-electric Formula E championship and a team advisor for Chip Ganassi Racing in the IndyCar Series. Franchitti has recently enjoyed a return to historic racing. He is married to Eleanor and has two young daughters.
Gordon Murray Group
The UK-based Gordon Murray Group comprises Gordon Murray Automotive and Gordon Murray Technologies.
Gordon Murray Automotive is a UK-based global luxury brand dedicated to creating and manufacturing the world’s greatest driving cars. These ultra-exclusive cars – the T.50, T.50s, T.33 and T.33 Spider – are engineered and designed without compromise to provide unrivalled driving experiences and driver-centric connection.
Gordon Murray Automotive adheres to seven core brand principles in all its products: Driving Perfection, Lightweight, Engineering Art, Premium brand, A Return to Beauty, Exclusivity and The Customer Journey.
Gordon Murray Technologies, incorporating Gordon Murray Design and Gordon Murray Electronics, serves global automotive companies for every aspect of vehicle development, design and manufacturing.
Gordon Murray Technologies also applies seven core brand principles to any project: Driving perfection, Performance through light-weighting, Engineering excellence, Sustainable mobility, Disruptive technologies, Low energy solutions and Innovation by design.
Gordon Murray Automotive – the supercars
T.50: The world’s most driver-centric supercar. Central driving position, three seats. Active and fan-assisted aerodynamics. 3.9-litre mid-mounted Cosworth GMA V12 engine producing 670 PS and capable of 12,100 rpm. Six-speed manual gearbox. 997kg dry weight. Limited production run of 100.
T.50s: The track-only version of the T.50. Central driving position, three seats. 3.9-litre mid-mounted Cosworth GMA.S V12 engine producing 772 PS and capable of 12,100 rpm. Instantaneous Gearshift six-speed paddle shift gearbox. Active and fan-assisted aerodynamics. 890kg dry weight. Limited production run of 25.
T.33: The world’s ultimate two-seater V12 coupe supercar. Full EU and Federal homologation. Passive Boundary Layer Control aerodynamics. 3.9-litre mid-mounted Cosworth GMA.2 V12 engine producing 617 PS and capable of 11,100 rpm. Six-speed manual, or six-speed paddle-shift gearbox. 1,090 kg dry weight. Limited production run of 100.
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