Observe how Gordon Murray Automotive tests the T.33 Supercar for safety measures.

      Gordon Murray Automotive

      Gordon Murray Automotive, based in England, is finalizing its V12-powered supercar called the T.33. Available in both coupe and convertible versions, the T.33 is a low-volume street-legal vehicle, necessitating a comprehensive range of safety features for homologation. It is not designed as a stripped-down track car. The brand is showcasing some of the rigorous tests the vehicle undergoes to ensure it is prepared for real-world conditions.

      A video released by Gordon Murray Automotive illustrates how the engineers program the airbags to determine when to deploy (and, importantly, when not to deploy), and this process is much more complex than one might think. It goes beyond simply inputting lines of code into one of the car's computers. The process includes practical track testing in harsh conditions that the average T.33 is unlikely to experience.

      To begin with, the fundamentals: the airbag control unit is the electronic component responsible for activating the airbags upon detecting a collision. It partially relies on data from accelerometers, which recognize sudden changes in the vehicle's speed. However, airbags should not deploy every time the car slows down. For instance, in a collision with a truck on the highway, you would want the airbags to activate, whereas hitting a curb in town likely does not require that protection.

      The most effective way to teach the vehicle to distinguish between a truck and a curb is to drive it into a curb—and watching a sleek supercar intentionally crash into an obstacle may be hard to watch. The testing gets even more intense; in addition to traversing rough surfaces, such as cobblestones often found in European cities and washboard roads at 55 mph, the T.33 prototype also executes a jump off a ramp covering 26 feet in the air, strikes a 176-pound duffel bag at 45 mph to mimic an impact with a boar, and drives directly into a substantial pile of gravel, surprisingly going right over it.

      It does not emerge unscathed. The impact with the boar-resembling bag, dubbed Ian by the engineers, damages the front bumper and punctures one of the radiators. Colliding with the curb shatters a brake rotor, and there are countless scratches on the various body and underbody panels. Although Gordon Murray Automotive repaired the damage, the rebuilt car will continue to serve as a powertrain calibration mule for engine testing.