Gordon Murray Automotive unleashes new T.33 supercar

Gordon Murray Automotive has unveiled its second all-new supercar. Joining its T.50 sibling that broke cover in 2020, the T.33 is a slightly more “affordable” (pricing starts at £1.37m — or roughly R28.4m) entry point into the GMA stable that offers similar levels of performance and exclusively. According to the British marque only 100 will be built. For some context, the flagship T.50 starts at an eye-watering £2.36m (roughly R48.9m).

Inspired by the timeless sports cars of the swinging 1960s, the new T.33 is built around an ultra lightweight carbon fibre monocoque and “iFrame” featuring cored carbon fibre panels. According to GMA this set-up delivers the perfect balance of torsional rigidity, and lightness, resulting in a car which is a whopping 300kg lighter than the average supercar.

To deliver exemplary handling and ride comfort, GMA’s chassis engineers have developed an entirely new suspension package for the T.33. Lightweight double wishbones are deployed front and rear in conjunction with coil springs over aluminium alloy dampers. The front suspension configuration features an anti-roll bar and aluminium alloy uprights.

At the rear of the chassis, aluminium alloy uprights and toe control links are deployed, along with an Inclined Axis Shear Mounting (IASM) system. The IASM system has the rear suspension mounted directly to the transmission casing with the torsional loads supported by the chassis and the entire powertrain mounted on anti-vibration bushes.

Powering the T.33 is a lightly detuned version of the 3.9-litre V12 already doing duty inside the T.50. Engineered in conjunction with the gurus at Cosworth, this naturally aspirated engine weighs a mere 178kg and can rev up to 11,100rpm. Maximum power — 452kW — is produced at a heady 10,500rpm while maximum torque — 451Nm — peaks at 9,000rpm.

The T.33 is equipped with a six-speed manual gearbox as standard with a paddle shift transmission as an option. The manual gearbox is derived from the Xtrac manual unit found in the T.50 and weighs 82kg. The paddle shift transmission is designed around Xtrac’s instantaneous gear-change system (IGS) which delivers a seamless shift with no torque cut making it the world’s fastest supercar gear change, without resorting to multiple clutches or dog rings. At 78kg it's also the lightest supercar paddle shift gearbox.

To help keep the T.33 glued to the road, GMA have equipped it with lightweight forged aluminium alloy wheels (19-inch front, 20-inch rear) shod with sticky Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S tyres (235/35 front, 295/30 rear). Serious stopping power is provided by a bespoke brake package consisting of Brembo Carbon Ceramic Material (CCM) discs (370mm front, 340mm) paired with Monobloc alloy calipers (six-piston up front and four-piston rear). 

As with the T.50 the cockpit of the T.33 is an exquisite example of functional simplicity with no unnecessary gadgets or gizmos to distract the driver. GMA has not included any finicky touchscreens and all of the main controls are rotary and analogue. The car is even devoid of column stalks, and instead, the indicators are operated by thumb-buttons on the carbon fibre steering wheel’s horizontal spokes. All primary and secondary controls are machined from the highest quality aluminium alloy providing a wonderfully tactile feel. The pedals are crafted from aluminium alloy, providing a perfect combination of strength and lightness that delivers exceptional control and sensitivity to the driver.

Though a strict two-seater, the T.33 does sport a front stowage compartment and twin side luggage lockers offering a combined 280 litres of space, large enough for six cases.

As mentioned earlier, only 100 examples of the new Gordon Murray Automotive T.33 supercar will be produced and deliveries are expected to commence early in 2024.