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Gordon Murray Automotive announces the V12 T.33 Spider

Gordon Murray has had a career that most people can only dream of, and at age 76, he’s still creating some of the world’s most desirable supercars. Murray designed Formula 1 cars for several years before turning to McLaren Cars, where he headed the design team for the McLaren F1. Recently, his company showed off its T.33 supercar, a V12-powered monster that howls like an F1 car, and now, Gordon Murray Automotive (GMA) has a droptop in the works.

Though it looks like the company’s upcoming V12 supercar, the Spider features unique bodywork from the A-pillar rearwards. It’s the company’s first open-top supercar and features two removable roof panels that can be stowed in the front trunk. The body shape is surprisingly restrained for a wild supercar because GMA said it focused on aerodynamics “without resorting to the ostentatious ducts, skirts, and splitters that are typically used in other supercars.”

The heart of the car is its naturally-aspirated 3.9-liter Cosworth GMA.2 V12 engine. It makes around 608 horsepower and weighs less than 393 pounds. It’s paired exclusively with a six-speed manual transmission, which sends power to the rear wheels. Interestingly, GMA used Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tires instead of a bespoke solution to offer more convenience for owners when the car is due for new rubber.

GMA made a point to include an analog tachometer, and the 11,100 rpm gauge is flanked by a climate settings display and the display for wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. The carbon fiber steering wheel is wrapped in leather, and many interior parts were machined from aluminum. The seats are carbon fiber wrapped in Alcantara, and GMA said the interior is “perfectly tailored to its owner.”

It’s unlikely any of us will see either version of the T.33 in person, as both are limited to 100 units. Beyond that exceeding rarity, the price starts at around $2.3 million, so unless you’ve got a billionaire neighbor, the T.33 Spider won’t be a popular choice in the school dropoff line.

April 5, 2023 / Comments Off

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Gordon Murray Automotive T.33 revealed, only slightly less intense than T.50

Following up on its first supercar – the now sold-out T.50 – Gordon Murray Automotive has a second road-going model, the T.33. While still a striking-looking machine, it’s actually a bit toned down compared to its predecessor. But that’s not to say it’s going to be dull in comparison. It still packs a wildly high-revving V12, a manual transmission and a light chassis.

While the T.50 had some influences from Murray’s past supercar claim to fame, the McLaren F1, the T.33 seems to channel much older sports cars. It has undulating, curvaceous fenders. It hardly has a crease or interrupted arc anywhere. It also has rounded, simplistic light housings. The body and chassis are made of carbon fiber and aluminum, like the T.50, and it’s supposed to be very light. The company is targeting a weight of under 2,425 pounds, which is a bit heavier than the T.50, which weighs in at barely over 2,000 pounds. Worth noting is the lack of a rear fan for the ground effects like the T.50. Still, the T.33 has a carefully designed underbody to generate downforce without needing much in the way of wings and splitters. It does feature a pop-up rear wing, though.

The flowing body hides similar mechanical components to the T.50. The T.33 gets a modified version of the 3.9-liter Cosworth V12. In this application, it makes 607 horsepower and 333 pound-feet of torque, all without the aid of forced induction. It revs a tad lower than the T.50’s engine with a redline of 11,100 rpm, but that’s obviously far higher than most road cars. The tweaked specs are a result of various changes such as cam profiles and engine tuning. The engine can be coupled to either a fully manual six-speed transmission or a sequential, paddle-shifted transmission. Power only goes to the rear through a limited-slip differential. Suspension is double-wishbone all around, and Brembo six-piston front calipers and four-piston rear calipers slow the T.33 down. And as a sign of GMA’s continued desire to enhance driver involvement, the T.33 has hydraulic power steering.

Unlike the T.50’s central driving position, the T.33 has a conventional layout with the driver on one side and the passenger on the other. The interior is minimalist and focused on physical switch gear. All of the control knobs and the instrument surround are made of aluminum, while the seats and steering wheel are made from carbon fiber. Cargo capacity totals 9.9 cubic feet, and it’s divided up by compartments under the hood and behind both rear fenders.

GMA will build only 100 T.33s, and it will be legal in the U.S. It will be quite expensive with a price tag of 1.37 million pounds, or about $1.83 million. Buyers who order T.33s can expect their cars to arrive sometime in 2024.

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January 27, 2022 / Comments Off

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Gordon Murray Automotive’s next supercar teased

Gordon Murray Automotive has posted to social media a teaser of its next supercar. It will be the second car to emerge from the company founded by the legendary race car engineer who created the McLaren F1. The follow-up to the incredible T.50 and T.50s is scheduled for a release in three weeks. So far all we have is a name, the T.33, which the teaser shows us as an emblem in yellow.

Notably, however, GMA refers to it as a “supercar GT” indicating that it’ll be more of a grand tourer than the hard-core sports-oriented T.50. As such, it may be a tad more relaxed than the manual-shift, 654-horsepower, 344-pound-foot T.50.

Given Murray’s fondness for mid-mounted V12s, we think it’s likely that the T.33 will be powered by some version of the 3.9-liter Cosworth V12 developed for the T.50. As a GT, though, perhaps the T.50’s 1+2 seating position will give way to a more relaxed side-by-side configuration.

One thing we do know for sure is that the T.33 will be the first car to emerge from GMA’s new $68 million global headquarters in Windlesham, Surrey, U.K. The facility will also house an R&D center, museum, manufacturing and service hub, and test track.

In a statement, Murray said, “We will have many important milestones for our new headquarters over the next two years. But one of the most important will be on 27 January when we reveal the first Gordon Murray Automotive vehicle to be manufactured there. We’re all extremely excited to be revealing such a significant car to the world in just three weeks from now.”

We’ll be tuning in at 12 p.m. Eastern on January 27.

January 7, 2022 / Comments Off

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Listen to the Gordon Murray T.50’s V12 exhaust note

The Gordon Murray Automotive T.50, promised to be the greatest — and perhaps last — analog supercar, is still undergoing testing. When we last saw a T.50 prototype, its naturally aspirated, mid-engined V12 was rev-limited to low speeds. Now, GMA has released another video showing two test mules at slightly higher velocities, giving us a better idea of what kind of exhaust note we can expect.

The testing takes place at the Dunsfold, England, test track famous for its appearances on “Top Gear.” Though the Cosworth-built 3.9-liter V12 is said to have a redline of 12,100 rpm, in these tests it’s still limited to 5,000 rpm. Still, that’s enough to give us an idea of what kind of aural assault the car will deliver.

As it turns out, at low rpm there’s a lot of the baritone rumble that seems to be de rigueur in modern performance cars. At higher speeds, the engine provides a bit more of the high-pitched hum of the T.50’s spiritual predecessor, Murray’s McLaren F1, though overall the exhaust note is quite loud. There’s definitely more of a primal roar than the F1’s all-business precision engineering whir.

But while it may sound like other supercars, Murray has been adamant that the T.50 will remain the anti-supercar supercar. It will prioritize agility and handling over raw horsepower, with styling that’s more subdued than modern look-at-me-mobiles.

As such, Murray says the T.50 will be about the size of a 718 Boxster and lighter than a Mazda MX-5 Miata. Though the output of 654 horsepower at 11,500 rpm and 344 pound-feet of torque at 9,000 rpm may not win armchair bragging rights, its power-to-weight ratio should better the Ferrari LaFerrari’s.

Production of the 1+2 seater is slated to begin in 2022. A production run of only 100 units has been promised, so if you think you might want to drop the $3 million on the last pure naturally aspirated, internal combustion-only sports car by arguably the greatest living supercar engineer on Earth, you should act fast.

July 26, 2021 / Comments Off

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Gordon Murray’s T.50 gets a soundcheck and a website

Gordon Murray Automotive isn’t slated to begin building the T.50 supercar until late next year, with deliveries scheduled for early 2022. Thankfully for us, the next step on the march to that goal is a website and a soundcheck of a portion of the 3.9-liter V12 which will power the three-seater coupe (watch that video here). We say “a portion” because Cosworth — the engineering firm developing the mill — put just three of the 12 cylinders on the dyno to verify emissions output and ensure the components can handle 12,100 rpm, said to be 300 rpm short of a 12,400-rpm “hard limit” redline. That figure is 1,400 rpm beyond the north wall of the 6.5-liter V12 Cosworth built to propel the Aston Martin Valkyrie. Murray told TopGear that the air pulses sucked into the ram-air intake above the cabin will result in magnificent sound. The English engineering legend tuned the thickness of the roof panel on the McLaren F1 to enhance the engine sound, and he’s done the same thing on the T.50. Based on the short snippet of the dyno run, the free-breathing V12 will excite blood and bone.

Output checks in at 650 horsepower and 332 pound-feet of torque, meaning ten hoses more than the 2021 Porsche 911 Turbo S but 184 lb-ft less. Unlike just about every other supercar out there today, the T.50 will weigh no more than 2,161 pounds, a stunning spec that’s 1,475 pounds less than the Turbo S, 899 pounds less than the Lotus Evora 400 Lightweight, 180 pounds less than an entry-level Mazda MX-5 Miata Sport. The V12 will utilize two engine maps, one that loads up torque at the bottom of the rev range for potting about town, dropping the redline to about 9,500 rpm and horsepower to roughly 600, the other unlocking every rev and joule. A 48-volt mild hybrid system powers the 15.7-inch rear fan and active aero panels, and employs a small electric motor to add 30 ponies in certain aero configurations. Power in the 100 units of the T.50 road car is sent to the rear wheels through a six-speed manual with an exposed linkage; the 25 units of the T.50 track-only car will use paddle shifters.

The coupe serves up five aerodynamic maps, two automatic and three driver selectable. Auto mode moves the under-floor and diffuser panels and active rear spoilers automatically as needed. Braking mode — as on a Bugatti Chiron or any McLaren — stands up the rear spoilers and powers the fan to suck air from under the car, improving downforce and therefore traction. Selectable High Downforce mode is made for the track and wet roads, boosting downforce by 30% over Auto mode. Streamline goes the opposite direction, closing aero inlets to reduce drag by 10% compared to Auto mode, and it “activates the fan at high speeds to extend the trailing wake of air behind the car, in effect creating a virtual long-tail.” VMAX mode starts with Streamline and kicks in extra boost from the 48-volt system to get to about 680 hp. Murray said the T.50 tops out somewhere around 220 miles per hour.

The carbon-intense supercar has moved into wind tunnel testing in Silverstone, using the Racing Point F1 team facility. At the same time, Gordon Murray Automotive is finishing its customer experience and service center in Dunsfold, England next to the factory that will build the T.50. Have a listen to the engine and imagine what’s to come for what it’s designer calls the “last and the greatest analog supercar ever built.” We also recommend checking out TG‘s piece on the car, where Murray admits that driving dynamics have been benchmarked against the Alpine A110, power steering will only work at low speed and in parking lots, the V12 flips from idle to 12,000 rpm in 0.3 seconds, and the rear tires are just 295-section (911 Turbo S rubber is 315-section out back).

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March 28, 2020 / Comments Off

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Gordon Murray’s superlight T.50 supercar: 650 hp Cosworth V12, manual transmission

Gordon Murray Automotive, the company bearing the name of the legendary designer, has released official information on its upcoming T.50 supercar. Aimed to be “the last and greatest” analog supercar ever built, the T.50 will have an all-new 3.9-liter Cosworth V12 and a six-speed manual gearbox.

The T.50 should really appeal to fans of the original 1990s McLaren F1 supercar, one of Murray’s greatest works. It will feature the same center-steer, three-seat configuration of the F1, and it has a screamer of a V12 — the 650-horsepower Cosworth unit, shared with no other car, will rev to a staggering 12,100 rpm. But the superlight T.50, said to weigh 2,161 pounds, has a few more tricks up its sleeve.

One of those tricks is its extremely advanced use of aerodynamics. The T.50 will in fact feature a 15.75-inch fan for underbody airflow control, which means the body design can remain uncluttered by wings. The point isn’t to make a mere tribute to the ’90s legend that is the McLaren F1 — the idea is to beat it. “Our experienced team is applying the same uncompromising approach to design and engineering that shaped every facet of the F1, and they are able to deliver substantial improvements over that car in every meaningful way,” says Murray.

The curb weight undercuts the heft of comparable supercars by about a third, and it’s a result of a strict diet extending to every single component. Murray says the T.50 isn’t about top speed or power, but about ultimate lightness. “The reality of chasing top speeds only adds weight, notably through ever-more-powerful engines, which increase the requirement for larger, heavier ancillaries. We are taking a very different approach.” The T.50 will be smaller than a Porsche 911, for instance, at 14.37 feet long and just over 6 feet wide. Still, there is said to be ample comfort and luggage space for three.

While the fan is powered by a 48-volt electrical system, the bespoke engine has no turbo or hybrid assist, just classic naturally aspirated power. Normally, the engine produces 650 horsepower, a McLaren F1-besting figure despite the V12 being far smaller than the BMW-derived 6.1-liter unit of the predecessor, but there’s also a ram-air induction system to raise available power to 700hp. “By working with the team at Cosworth Powertrain, we have created the greatest naturally-aspirated engine ever designed for the road. It is the highest revving, highest power density, lightest and fastest-responding naturally-aspirated V12 ever made for a road car.” It is paired to a H-pattern gearbox developed by Xtrac in the UK, and all of the power goes to the rear wheels.

The T.50 will be built in Surrey, UK, and its price will soar past $3 million. Just 100 units will be made, with production slated for 2022.

June 5, 2019 / Comments Off

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Gordon Murray Automotive T.50 Hypercar Details Come to Light

The Man Behind the McLaren F1 Has a New Car

We reported a while back that Gordon Murray had a new hypercar he was working on. Details about the car were extremely scarce at the time of that writing. Now, some of those details have come to light. According to his website, the car will use a carbon fiber tub, a naturally aspirated V12 engine, a good-old-fashioned six-speed manual transmission, and be rear-wheel drive. The car will also seat three people. The driver will be front and center with the two passengers to either side.

The car will begin production in 2022. Right now the car is in advanced stages of development. The vehicle is said to cost upwards of $2.5 million. Murray plans to only build 100 versions of the car, too, meaning it will be a rare model. The model is supposed to have the most advanced aerodynamics of any car and an unmatched power-to-weight ratio.

Murray doesn’t seem too interested in what people think, which is refreshing. He’s here to build the best-driving car out there. “I have absolutely no interest in chasing records for top speed or acceleration. Our focus is instead on delivering the purest, most rewarding driving experience of any supercar ever built – but, rest assured, it will be quick,” he said.

It’s this focus on the actual driveability of the car that has us so excited. Chasing top speeds and faster acceleration times is all well and good, but if you have to ruin the driving experience to get there, then you’ve missed the point. Murray knows what it takes to build an engaging car and the T.50 should be impressive.

June 5, 2019 / Comments Off

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McLaren F1 25 years later: Designer Gordon Murray reflects on his classic creation

It’s been a quarter century since the introduction of the McLaren F1. In honor of this anniversary, McLaren caught up with Gordon Murray, the car’s designer, to talk about it and the development process. In the above video, Murray reveals a number of fascinating facts about the freakishly fast F1. For instance, the center seat placement wasn’t solely to evoke the feeling of being in an F1 car. It was also done to avoid having the pedals offset strangely as with other supercars of the era.

Some of the most interesting facts concern the F1’s top speed. Murray says that when the car was being developed, he never set any sort of performance or speed target, which seems odd for a car that immediately became the fastest street-legal car on Earth. Rather, Murray said, “I just tried to do the best car I could from an engineering point of view.” The fact that the F1 was so fast was just a pleasant result.

When the topic of the the McLaren F1’s top speed comes up in the video, there is some fantastic footage of the car setting its top speed record. Apparently, according to Murray, the company had to disconnect the rev limiter in order for the car to set its record of 240 mph, and even climb to 243 mph (391 km/h). The driver, Andy Wallace, also exhibits textbook British understatement as he reaches 391 km/h. When he tops out he says, “It will not go anymore than 391. But anyway, 391’s quite fast, isn’t it?”

Sure is. The video is definitely worth a watch.

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August 16, 2017 / Comments Off

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