Even small-scale supercars are tested for torture to meet global homologization standards. Gordon Murray Automotive (GMA) recently released a video showing its T.50 being misused in the name of security.
This round of testing is related to airbag calibration, explained GMA development driver Dario Franchiste in the video. Operated at the ATP Papenberg facility in Papenberg, Germany, the goal was to ensure that airbags were not deployed unnecessarily.
This means that forcing the test car may be a production vehicle experience, but where the driver does not want an airbag to close, such as striking holes and railroad crossings, driving over the infamous rough Belgian pavement, or even climbing a pebble.
Gordon Murray Automotive T.50 Airbag Calibration Test
In a more extreme test, engineers drove the T.50 into a pebble at about 19 miles per hour, launched it from a small ramp, and mimicked a collision with a wild boar. The latter is a situation where airbags are actually supposed to be deployed.
The prototype used in this experiment যা called the XP1— — survived intact. Already looking at the one-year test, it will retire and be used to train service technicians, and then be displayed as part of a museum.
The goal of the T.50 is the ultimate analog supercar. It is powered by a naturally ambitious 3.9-liter V-12 that screams at 12,100 rpm. It produces 654 hp and 344 pound-feet of torque, which may not seem impressive by the standards of modern supercars, but still at just 3,000 rpm is enough to make the wheels tick. Also, that power is channeled through a 6-speed manual transmission.
GMA founder Gordon Murray also included a rear-mounted fan inspired by the 1970s Brabham BT46B Formula One car. The 15.7-inch fan can create or pull downforce depending on the mode selected.
Only 125 T.50 supercars will be made, including the 100 road cars and 25 T.50s Nicki Lauda track versions shown here. Pricing starts at the equivalent of $ 3.26 million, but the entire production is sold out.
Watch the video embedded to see the T.50 encounter obstacles that will frustrate any supercar owner.