And gord saw that the light was good. so he decided to build a car that bettered his mclaren f1 in every way. we’re first to drive it

And while we’re at it, powers that be, could I also request the exact same weather and traffic as 7am–11am on 6 October 2023? It’s a week later now, and every night I’ve dreamed about the T.50 on that road. I’ve never had that before. Reliving memories is one thing, but to have your off-duty brain replay scenes with such vivid clarity you remember them the next morning is quite another. My subconscious clearly doesn’t want to let those moments go either.

I don’t know whether to feel relief or profound excitement that Gordon Murray and his team have created arguably the finest driving device that’s ever been conceived. No less was expected after all. And yet, despite everything I’d already learned about it, this wasn’t the car I expected it to be. It wasn’t better or worse, it was just different.

This wasn’t a ‘one road’ thing, by the way. The T.50 was mine for four whole days and close to 900 miles. The length of the Pyrenees, from Barcelona to Bilbao. I knew it had potential, but hadn’t expected it to throw up the Driving Nirvana Combo. My original plan had been a lightweight roadtrip, until I realised two things: that an all areas reduction would see me ending up like James May in that racing Aston; and that if Gordon had been utterly ruthless about mass, we wouldn’t have a pair of lovely leather cases for each luggage locker, but a bin bag.

Just a roadtrip then. But what a road trip, taking in about 25 cols and passes, investigating the length and breadth of this secluded mountain range, ricocheting between Spain, France and Andorra. The stuff that lights our fires. The stuff the GMA T.50 was designed for.

A point on that: this is not your common or garden hypercar, is it? In fact I’m not sure it’s a hypercar at all considering it’s got less power than an entry level McLaren Artura. Gordon says “it’s all about honouring and improving the F1” and there’s a lot to unpick there. It’s a breath of much needed fresh air. A few weeks previously I’d been with the Supercar Owners Circle in Spain, watching Bugattis, Ferraris, Koenigseggs and Paganis struggle to find a role besides ‘show-off’. They are rolling artworks, glorious self-promoters and vanity display cases all rolled into one. Many are mesmeric to drive, but that’s not the focus. In fact driving feels like a job