GMA T.50 Makes A Mockery Of Koenigsegg Jesko's Record-Breaking Engine!
Sorry, Koenigsegg, but a turbocharged V8 simply can't beat a naturally aspirated V12.
The world has a new record for the fastest-revving engine, and it's being claimed by the Gordon Murray Automotive T.50 and its highly-strung 3.9-liter naturally aspirated Cosworth V12.
Top Gear has been closely following the development of the GMA hypercar since its inception, and in the video below, GMA chief engineer Nik Hoyle reveals that, like the output, the current rev speed is far beyond what was initially measured.
Initially, the engine was said to be able to gain speed at an average of 28,400 rpm per second, but now that development is complete, the final figure is a scarcely believable 52,000 rpm a second. That means the engine could effectively go from idle to its 12,100 rpm redline in less than a quarter of a second.
How did that figure change so drastically, and how far back is the competition?
You may remember that roughly two years ago, Koenigsegg claimed the title of the world's fastest-revving production engine with the twin-turbo V8 in the Jesko. Thanks to nearly nonexistent inertia from the lack of a flywheel (the GMA T.50 also lacks a flywheel), the 5.0-liter V8 can rev from idle to its 7,800 rpm redline in just 213 milliseconds. In roughly the same timeframe (give or take a thousandth of a second), the T.50 has found another 4,300 rpm.
To put those figures in perspective, the Lexus LFA, which had to use a digital tachometer because a physical needle couldn't swing fast enough to match the Yamaha-tuned V10's speed, would rev from 900 to 9,000 rpm in 0.6 seconds, a speed of roughly 13,500 rpm/s. The T.50's V12 revs nearly four times faster.
Koenigsegg's figure translated to an average of 31,700 rpm/s in neutral, but under load, Angelholm's engineers recorded peaks of up to 46,000 revolutions a second. Perhaps GMA's initial measurement of the Cosworth V12 was also recorded in neutral, which would explain the sudden jump in recorded speed.
Only 100 units of the regular T.50 will be made, and the above video will likely be the only one where non-GMA employees are driving a pre-production prototype, so we highly recommend watching it with the volume all the way up to take in all that aural drama (and to see the doors and engine covers unfurl in unison).
Another century of T.50s Niki Lauda track-only supercars will be produced, and based on initial audio clips, it seems this will sound even better than the regular car. Perhaps it will break the record once again, too.
The T.50 proves that you don't need insane horsepower or overt styling to create a masterpiece, and more importantly, if you obsess over the details, you create a product that exceeds your wildest expectations. We hope other automakers - in and outside the hypercar realm - take notes."
Sorry, Koenigsegg, but a turbocharged V8 simply can't beat a naturally aspirated V12.
carbuzz.com
That's Cosworth.
