Powertrain developer chosen for supercar

Louise Davis

Sprint Power, a new British technology company specialising in vehicle propulsion, has been chosen by Gordon Murray Automotive to develop and integrate the complete electrical systems for its highly-anticipated T.50 supercar. The multi-million-pound technical partnership is a key development in the creation of what Murray says will be “the purest, lightest, most driver-focused supercar ever made.”

The brief is to create an electrical architecture that is as light as possible with ‘no-compromise’ performance. To succeed, Sprint Power will ensure that all of the T.50’s electrical systems remain durable when faced with the technical and physical extremes of such a performance application. Sprint Power is also developing lightweight, cutting-edge battery technologies that will be tested to their full potential in the driver-focused, high-performance supercar.

Founder and CEO of Sprint Power, Richie Frost, commented: “We are very privileged to be working with the team at Gordon Murray Automotive, their fantastic work ethic and approach helps our team to perform at the highest level. Like Sprint Power, they seek out innovative solutions, thinking of inventive ways to achieve more while capitalising on the collective strengths of the team to deliver great results. I believe this is something that has filtered down from Gordon’s days in top-tier motorsport.”

Frost continued: “There are members of our team who have worked closely with Gordon Murray Design for the past decade, including me. Today, we are treated as an extension of their technical family. It’s great to be playing such an integral role in the development of the T.50 while showcasing our technical capabilities.”

Sprint Power began working on the T.50 supercar in early 2019 and has ramped-up deployment of its highly-skilled engineering team to meet the demanding timeframes required by the project. The company is working on novel electrical systems and battery technologies, to meet the full functional safety requirements of a production road-car. The new supercar’s electrical systems are being developed to be as light as possible. This is crucial to keep the T.50’s weight below 980kg – around a third lighter than the average supercar – making it the lightest car in its class.

The new V12-engined supercar will produce a standard 650hp and be capable of 12,100rpm, the highest-revving engine ever used in a production car. Sprint Power engineers have been busy validating a number of innovative concepts and ground-breaking technologies to help achieve these performance figures in time for the start of prototype vehicle testing.

The T.50 features a mid-engine and rear-wheel-drive layout and adopts the iconic three-seat layout that Murray pioneered in his acclaimed McLaren F1 design. A unique airflow management system will include a rear-mounted 400mm ground-effect fan and six aero modes that will optimise the car for different scenarios to balance traction and outright performance. Only 100 T.50 models will be produced, with each costing in excess of £2m before taxes. Deliveries are set to commence in January 2022.


 

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