This is the new Gordon Murray Automotive T.33, a superb looking super car from the United Kingdom. It is the company’s second car after the slightly more insane T.50 track-attack machine. Gordon Murray Automotive (GMA) is a super car maker founded by the near-legendary designer and engineer Gordon Murray, responsible for many iconic cars like the Brabham BT46 fan car, the McLaren F1 and the Murray T27. The two-seat rear-mid engine T.33 is an attempt to build a ‘usable’ super car, with Mr. Murray apparently very proud about the car’s 280 liters of luggage space.
The GMA T.33 is a surprisingly compact car, not much larger than the average Lotus. It is only 4.4 meters long, 1.85 meters wide, and 1.135 meters high. But even more impressive is the car’s weight. Thanks to a carbon safety cell surrounded by a light-allow chassis finished with carbon fiber body panels the T.33 has a curb weigh of just 1.090 kilo and a power to weight ratio of 564 hp per tonne.
The GMA T.33 is powered by a brand new ‘GMA.2‘ 4.0 liter (3,994 cc) V12 engine manufactured by Cosworth, exclusively for the T.33. The high-revving 12-cylinder engine has an output of 615 hp at 10,500 rpm and a max torque of 451 Nm at 9,000 rpm. The maximum rpm is a scarcely believable 11,100 rpm. Customers can choose between a six-speed manual gearbox or a six-speed automatic paddle shift gearbox. All horses go to the rear wheels.
To bring all that speed to a stop the GMA T.33 is equipped with a high tech brake system, featuring servo assisted ventilated carbon ceramic discs. The diameter of the front discs is 370 millimeter, with a width of 34 millimeter. At the rear, the diameter is 340 millimeter and width is 34 again. The front brake discs are mated to light-alloy six-piston calipers and the rear brakes go with light-alloy six-piston calipers. The brake discs are relatively small, and thus lighter, compared to the brakes of other modern super cars. This, according to GMA, was possible thanks to the low weight of the T.33. A lighter car needs less stopping power. This creates a ‘flywheel effect’: lighter weight > lighter brakes > lighter weight.
Design of the T.33 is clean to the extreme, with very few shut lines and only fully functional aerodynamics. The ‘wildest’ design element is probably the roof scoop which feeds air directly into the engine. There is a compact active rear wing all the way at the rear and two tiny exhaust pipes in middle of the diffuser. GMA says the design was inspired by racing cars of the 1960’s, like the Ferrari Dino 206 S and the De Tomaso Vallelunga. GMA will only make one hundred units of the T.33, for $1.83 million each, before taxes. Deliveries will start in early 2024.