F1 design genius and tropical shirt enthusiast Gordon Murray has revealed what might just be the definitive convertible supercar.
Called the T.33 Spider, it’s powered by a naturally aspirated, 3.9-litre V12 engine that revs to a heady 11,100rpm and gulps in air through a snorkel mounted just inches above the driver’s head. If that doesn’t put you close enough to the action, the rear windscreen can be lowered, bringing what will no doubt be a fabulous soundtrack even closer to your ears.
An open-topped version of the T.33 coupe revealed in 2022, the new Spider will be limited to 100 examples worldwide (as are all supercars made by Gordon Murray Automotive) and prices start at £1.9m plus tax.
Buyers can wade into GMA’s configurator to come up with any exterior and interior colour combo they like. But if unlimited choice feels too intimidating, the company has kindly curated four palettes of complimentary colours to pick from – and one of those is “inspired by Gordon Murray’s love of a tropical shirt”. No, really.
The compact two-seater is made from carbon fibre and has a target dry weight (meaning without fuel and fluids) of just 1,108kg. That’s only 18 kg more than the hard-topped T.33, which is a mighty impressive achievement considering the extra strengthening that usually goes into making convertibles that don’t wobble and shimmy their way through the corners.
That lack of extra weight is also due to the T.33 Spider not having an electric folding roof. Instead it has a pair of carbon roof panels that can be removed and stored in a luggage compartment under the nose. There’s also storage space in a pair of lockers ahead of the rear wheels, bringing total storage to an impressive 295 litres. If you’re travelling alone there’s also the option of a tailored bag that neatly straps to the passenger seat.
GMA says the Cosworth-built V12 produces 609 hp and 333 ft-lbs of torque, but isn’t interested in sharing the car’s 0-60 mph time or top speed. In typical Murray style, GMA says it “does not follow trends and does not seek headline performance figures; not now, nor in the future.”
Interior tech includes Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, which are both accessible via one of two digital displays flanking a central, analogue rev counter. There is no touchscreen, no central display and no haptic, touch-sensitive buttons. From its lack of hybrid assistance, to its manual six-speed gearbox, this is an analogue supercar through-and-through.
And that’s just what GMA’s customers want, Murray says. The T.33 coupe was offered with the choice of a manual or (faster, near-seamless shifting) automatic gearbox, but since only four buyers chose the latter it has been ditched. Both versions of T.33 will now only be built with a manual stick-shift.
T.33 Spider buyers will have to be patient, as GMA first has its flagship T.50 supercar to build. This car was recently signed off by Murray and is due to enter production soon. It will be followed by the track-only T.50S, then the T.33 coupe and finally the T.33 Spider. Given what we’ve seen so far, we think the wait will be more than worth it.
