What's all this about?

Legendary designer Gordon Murray – the man behind the McLaren F1, no less – has launched a new open-top supercar. Powered by a massive Cosworth V12 engine and equipped with a manual gearbox, Murray says the new Gordon Murray Automotive T.33 Spider is designed to provide “unrivalled responsiveness and driver involvement.”

Hasn't Murray already done a supercar?

He has indeed. The company has already revealed the T.33 coupe – a sister car to the Spider – and the T.50, billed as the ultimate lightweight supercar. Gordon Murray Automotive (we’ll call it GMA for short) says the T.33 Spider was developed alongside the T.33 coupe, and the two cars share the same carbon-fibre monocoque construction.

Sounds high-tech...

It is a bit. The Gordon Murray Technologies’ iStream carbon monocoque uses carbon-fibre composite panels bonded to extruded aluminium tubing with geometry set for optimal stiffness and safety, as well as lightness. But though the structure is shared with the coupe, it was designed for the Spider. That means the whole car was designed to be roofless, and the structure was tuned accordingly.

As well as doing that, GMA has also built the T.33 Spider to be aerodynamic, without resorting to the ducts, skirts and splitters often found on supercars. Instead, there’s a ground effect inlet (Gordon Murray designed the infamous ground-effect F1 ‘fan’ cars) at the front that directs air under the floor, then into a rear diffuser. The system is designed to reduce drag while still offering high-speed stability.

At the same time, GMA has tuned the styling at the rear to minimise drag, but so great is the difference that everything behind the windscreen pillars has been completely redrawn.

What about performance?

There shouldn’t be any shortage of that. The T.33 Spider has the same 3.9-litre V12 engine as the T.33 coupe, and it produces a plentiful 617hp. That goes to the rear wheels via a six-speed manual gearbox designed to be as “mass-efficient” as possible, weighing in at just 82kg. GMA hasn’t confirmed exactly how fast the T.33 Spider will be – the company says it doesn’t chase straight-line performance figures – but with a target weight of 1.1 tonnes, it should offer blistering pace.

And handling?

GMA considers that more important than speed, so we expect the car to drive fantastically. GMA says it should match the coupe for ride, handling and steering, thanks to its all-round double-wishbone suspension, which is made from aluminium. The powertrain is also semi-structural, as it would be in an F1 car, and that means the car can be light without too much noise and vibration.

What’s more, GMA has tuned the electro-hydraulic steering system to “deliver unrivalled levels of feel, weight and feedback” with the “purity” of traditional hydraulic power steering but fewer parasitic energy losses from the engine-driven pump. Predictably, the T.33 Spider also gets carbon-ceramic brakes and Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S tyres, around which the car has been designed.

So it's going to be a bare bones racer, then?

Not exactly. GMA calls the cabin “simple and elegant”, and there is a fairly Spartan look to the whole thing, with the focus on the “defiantly analogue” rev counter that goes up to 11,100rpm. However, that dial is surrounded by screens that offer wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity.

The pedals, gear lever and switchgear are machined from aluminium alloy, while the carbon-fibre sports seats are trimmed in leather and Alcantara, although each car will be tailored to its owner’s specifications.

What has Gordon Murray said about it?

“When drawing a car I imagine what it's going to feel like to sit in, and how it will feel to drive,” hs said. “So from the first sketch I knew that, with its open cockpit and the incredible Cosworth GMA.2 V12 engine right behind you, the T.33 Spider would deliver a truly involving driving experience that’s quite unlike anything else. And while it’s still a mid-engine supercar I wouldn’t accept any compromise on usability: this is why the T.33 Spider is unique in the supercar sector in delivering both onboard roof storage and a 295-litre luggage capacity.”

How much money will I need?

GMA hasn’t really said, but the company has confirmed just 100 cars will be made, and we don’t expect any of them to come cheap.

James Fossdyke - 6 Apr 2023