ONLY FANS

BORN MU What's life like at 12,000rpm? We got to find out... in stereo. Jack and Ollie hop in the outer seats of the GMA T.50

- OLLIE MARRIAGE & JACK RIX

It's 8.30am in Shalford, the headquarters of Gordon Murray Automotive. It's been like the countdown to Christmas for the past few weeks, crossing the days off until this moment.

OM: Today Jack and I get to ride shotgun (double barrelled...) in the remarkable T.50 - a hypercar with the footprint of a Porsche Boxster, three seats and a 3.9-litre naturally aspirated V12 that revs to over 12,000rpm. Gordon doesn't know or care how long 0-60mph takes or what the top speed is. This car is all about weight saving and sensation, about righting the supposed wrongs of the McLaren F1. Our pilot is Indycar legend and GMA development driver Dario Franchitti. The car sits outside the front door looking trim and petite. The doors swing up.

While Dario shuffles over to the centre seat I look at Jack across the roof. You know how sometimes, for professional reasons, you want to keep the inane grin off your face, but it muscles its way through? That's the face Jack is pulling now.

JR: Worth noting that Ollie, the consummate professional, is also grinning like a dog with multiple appendages. Right, I'll sit on Dario's left, not sure there's actually a short straw here, and - excuse me while I savour this because dropping into a passenger seat has never felt like more of an event. It's snug for width, luckily I keep my love handles match fit at all times, but leg, head, shoulder, elbow room... there's enough of it. I reach up and pull the door down slowly - no need to slam it, just introduce the catches to each other, let the soft close do the rest.