If you’ve got a 617hp Cosworth V12 engine that revs to 11,100rpm, you’ll want to enjoy every last rev with a wonderful, uninhibited surround sound. In other words, you need the T.33 Spider from Gordon Murray Automotive (GMA). Well, join the queue.
Based on the existing T.33 coupe, the Spider’s carbon fiber composite body is unique from the A-pillars rearwards. There’s room for two lift-off roof panels in the front boot – or you can leave the roof in place and simply retract the rear window.
The Spider will be hand-built at GMA’s new factory in Windlesham, Surrey, with first deliveries due in summer 2025. Only 100 examples will be produced and each will cost £1.8m – around £500,000 more than its coupe counterpart.
see the light
Incredibly, the convertible T.33 weighs only 18 kilograms more than the equivalent coupe. A painstaking focus on weight loss involves “minus a gram from every component.”
At 1,108kg, the Spider weighs about the same as an Alpine A110 – a car Murray himself owns and admires. It’s also nearly half a ton lighter than a Porsche 911 Cabriolet.
Its handsome, slightly retro-looking body panels are combined with a carbon fiber monocoque chassis supported by extruded aluminum tubes. Designed from the ground up as a convertible, the GMA promises “no compromise in structural integrity”.
simple pleasure
Inside, the T.33 Spider looks like a luminous Lotus Elise: minimalist, sumptuous touches and completely driver-focused. The “absolute analog tachometer” is flanked by a pair of small screens for climate control and infotainment—the latter both featuring wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity.
A stubby dome shifter takes center stage, controlling a six-speed Xtrac manual transmission. The T.33’s carbon-fiber steering wheel houses buttons for the wipers and indicators, replacing a conventional steering wheel. Switchgear and pedals are machined from aluminum alloy.
Two carbon-fiber bucket seats are trimmed in leather and Alcantara, and sit beneath the massive ram air intake feeding the hungry V12 engine. A pair of 90-litre storage boxes are concealed in the rear haunches, increasing total luggage capacity to 295 liters – on par with a small hatchback.
totally tropical
The heart of the T.33 Spider is of course that almighty engine with 12 cylinders, four throttle bodies, 24 injectors and a superbike-style redline. Maximum power of 617hp is reached at 10,250rpm, while 75 per cent of the 333lb ft of torque is available at 2,500rpm. Its yellow cam covers were also inspired by Murray’s 1972 Duckhams Ford LM race car.
No performance figures are quoted, but 0-62 mph is estimated in about three seconds, with a top speed in excess of 200 mph. If you want to go faster, you need the full-power 663hp GMA T.50 with rear-mounted fans and ground-effect aerodynamics.
Lastly – and most importantly – we’re told the T.33 Spider will be available in some very eye-catching colours, “in acknowledgment of Gordon’s love of tropical shirts”. It seems that even Murray, an engineer with a reputation for being obsessive and no-nonsense, isn’t afraid to have a little fun.
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