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Gordon Murray's electric T.27 city car crashed in the name of science, holds up beautifully

We asked for some crazy things in our vision of the car of the future, and we're learning that many of them can be found in Gordon Murray's implementation of his car of tomorrow, the T.27. EV power? Check. Odd central seating? Check. Racing-inspired safety measures? Double-check, as evidenced by these crash test photos which, as you can see, are remarkably close to the company's computer simulations. It's a tiny thing, just a little over eight feet long and weighing under 1,500lbs, though for that you'll get a top seed of about 65mph and a range of between 80 and 100 miles -- and the ability to run into a wall at a 40 percent offset without injury. Running prototypes are expected on the road in just a few months and, with any luck, production versions of this (and the gasoline-powered T.25) could be hitting the streets by next year.
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T.27 Crash Test Results Are Major Break Through In Car Safety

Gordon Murray Design have conducted the first crash test of a vehicle built with their ground breaking iStream® manufacturing technology. The test was carried out at MIRA (Motor Industry Research Association) on a Gordon Murray Design T.27 Electric City Car.

The crash test was the mandatory EEC 40% offset deformable barrier front high speed impact and the T.27 came through with flying colours with zero cabin intrusion and the measured results being extremely close to those predicted by computer simulation.

This outstanding result is a great endorsement for Gordon Murray Design's iStream® manufacturing system which delivers reduced weight and cost with increased levels of safety. The iStream® composite monocoque brings Formula One technology to mass production vehicles with significantly higher specific energy absorption rates compared with conventional bodied cars.

Frank Coppuck, Gordon Murray Design's Engineering Director said:

"This crash test represents a major milestone in vehicle safety and in the history of Gordon Murray Design. It clearly demonstrates that cars built using iStream technology can achieve low weight, cost and significant reductions in energy usage during manufacturing without compromising safety."

The development of the T.27, by Gordon Murray Design and Zytek Automotive Ltd, has been made possible through a £4.5m investment from the government-backed Technology Strategy Board. With a total cost of £9m, the consortium will develop running prototypes of the vehicle by Spring 2011.