Gordon Murray Automotive reveals the all-new T.33 – a timeless Supercar

Gordon Murray Automotive has unveiled the exciting all-new T.33. It is the second newly developed model from GMA and joins the T.50 and T.50s Niki Lauda in the line-up. The two-seat, mid-engined T.33 has been conceived, designed, and engineered without compromise to offer the ultimate blend of performance, comfort, on-road driving experience and everyday usability.

The T.33 will be powered by a specially reconfigured version of the T.50 3.9-litre V12, co-designed with Cosworth, and already regarded as the finest-ever twelve-cylinder road car engine. The beautifully proportioned, aerodynamically efficient, timeless design of the T.33 will be built around a newly developed carbon and aluminium superlight architecture. Its overall targeted weight is less than 1100kg.

Professor Gordon Murray CBE: “With the T.33, our second all-new car, we gave ourselves a very clear brief: to create another timeless design. It has been designed and engineered to the same exacting standards as our T.50, with the same emphasis on driver focus, performance, lightweight and superlative, pure design, but the outcome is a very different motor car. This is a car where comfort, effortless performance and day to day usability are even more front and centre in its character.”

As with all current and future GMA cars, the T.33 adheres to the seven key principles of the brand.

Driving perfection The ambition and intent to deliver the very best driving experience.

Exclusivity GMA will never produce more than 100 of any one model or variant.

Lightweight At GMA lightweight design is much more than just an engineering goal, it is a state of mind. This approach delivers supercars with unmatched levels of efficiency and vehicle dynamics.

Premium GMA is a car company like no other. We produce hand-built British cars to the highest possible standards. It is where engineering innovation meets premium quality.

Engineering art Every single component is a bespoke design and a piece of engineering art, all adhering to the beauty of simplicity.

A return to beauty Our cars will always be timeless, balanced and perfectly proportioned – every part of our car has a purpose.

A personalised customer journey With only 100 examples of each model of each variant, when you join the GMA family, you are joining an unrivalled and unique experience. While other manufacturers can offer you a paddock club ticket, we provide an access all areas pit pass.

Professor Gordon Murray CBE: “Gordon Murray Automotive is a brand that is pushing the boundaries of automotive innovation. We are already developing a global reputation that we are unlike every other car manufacturer. We are not chasing trends. We are not chasing headline performance figures. We are not chasing sales. Nor will we ever be. Which is why now, and in the future, GMA vehicles will always abide by our seven core principles. Principles that represent the cornerstone of our brand, our world-leading vehicles and the legacy that we are creating.”

Design

The T.33 has been designed by Gordon Murray and his team with strict adherence to the company’s guiding seven principles. Based upon an entirely new carbon/aluminium superlight architecture, the T.33’s carbon fibre body represents a triumphant return to beauty.

GMA spared neither time nor resources to pursue a perfectly proportioned, balanced beyond compare shape. Crafted through obsessive attention to detail, the T.33 exudes a spirit of purity and an aura of utterly timeless beauty.

The T.33 represents the highest expression of automotive art that quite simply, no other company, no other car designer could have created.

Each owner will be welcome to collaborate with the GMA design team to personalise their T.33 through their choice of colours and liveries, thus ensuring that no two cars will be alike.

Professor Gordon Murray CBE: “The beauty of simplicity is the key to the design of every GMA model, and the new T.33 is no exception. As with the T.50 and T.50s, each component and every curve and radius is a bespoke design on the T.33 and is there because it has a function to perform. Our slavish adherence to the concept of engineering art extends far beneath the surface of the T.33’s body. Every part, no matter how small and no matter that the owner may never see it, is designed to the same exacting standards as the body.”

Engine and transmission

The T.33’s new GMA.2 V12 engine is based upon the exceptional building blocks of the greatest road-going V12 the world has ever seen. The 3.9-litre V12 that powers the GMA T.50 road car has been significantly re-configured to deliver performance that is even more accessible than the extreme T.50 V12.

Once again, GMA has turned to its Technical Partner, Cosworth, leveraging a relationship that has stood the test of decades and predates Gordon Murray’s first Grand Prix victory with Cosworth in 1974 at Kyalami with Carlos Reutemann in a Brabham BT44. The world-leading engine company’s 60 plus years of experience has been mustered to meet GMA’s brief.

Derived from the all-aluminium Cosworth GMA V12 and denoted by bespoke T.33 yellow cam covers, the beautifully crafted GMA.2 further embodies GMA’s guiding principles, including Exclusivity, Lightweight, Engineering Art and, of course, Driving Perfection. Every element of the engine has been reassessed, with numerous components and systems re-designed and re-engineered to ensure optimum compatibility with the new T.33’s driving characteristics.

Weighing a mere 178kg, the 3.9-litre V12 revs to 11,100rpm and produces 615PS @ 10,500rpm and 451Nm @ 9,000rpm. Incredible ultra-rapid engine response combined with 75 per cent torque delivery at just 2,500rpm and an incredible 90% of maximum torque available from 4,500rpm to 10,500rpm, and a power to weight ratio of 564PS per tonne results in superlative performance.

While GMA and Cosworth chose to retain the V12 cylinder heads, albeit in modified form, completely new camshafts, variable valve timing, and engine mapping have been introduced to ensure perfection in response and power delivery. Along with a new ram induction intake system, a new exhaust system has been developed, which delivers a spine-tingling GMA signature sound unmatched by any other car on the road today. The engine mountings, water cooling, and oil cooling systems are also entirely new and were developed specifically for the GMA.2 V12.

World-renowned British transmission experts Xtrac have created a totally bespoke six-speed transmission of exceptional quality for the T.33, which will be offered to customers with a manual gearchange or an Instantaneous Gearchange System (IGS) paddle shift actuation. The transmission is combined with a low inertia clutch and a Limited-Slip Differential (LSD).

As standard, the GMA T.33 has a six-speed manual gearbox with a paddle shift transmission as an option.

The manual gearbox is derived from the T.50 Xtrac manual unit, weight at 82kg, is the world’s lightest supercar unit.

The paddle shift gearbox is designed around Xtrac’s instantaneous gearchange system (IGS) which delivers a seamless shift with no torque interrupt making it the world’s fastest supercar gearchange, without resorting to multiple clutches or dog rings. At 78kg it is the world’s lightest supercar paddle shift gearbox.

In keeping with GMA’s determination to continually push the boundaries of automotive innovation, the powertrain of the T.33 is semi-structural, with the engine and transmission carrying all the traction, braking and cornering forces. GMA’s innovative IASM (Inclined Axis Shear Mounting System) incorporates anti-vibration mountings to ensure that excellent cabin Noise, Vibration and Harshness (NVH) isolation is delivered alongside precise handling.

Professor Gordon Murray CBE: “The engine is the heart and soul of any supercar. And to ensure driving perfection, it must be bespoke, and it must be normally aspirated. We were fortunate that we had the world’s greatest V12 from the T.50 as a starting point. Yet, nothing was taken for granted, and no part was automatically carried over without due diligence and consideration. When we once again joined forces with our technical partner Cosworth to create a bespoke engine for the T.33, every single detail was pored over in painstaking depth. Numerous systems and components were re-engineered and re-designed to pursue excellence, and we are 100 per cent confident that the GMA.2 V12 provides the perfect match for the T.33’s driving characteristics.”

Chassis body and suspension

The T.33 is built around a unique, superlight carbon fibre monocoque and iFrame® featuring cored carbon fibre panels. This solution delivers the perfect balance of torsional rigidity, and lightness, resulting in a car which is 300kg lighter than the average supercar.

The extremely lightweight nature of the T.33’s construction ensures impressive agility on the road. Its strength and stiffness deliver exceptional occupant safety, with precision-engineered deformable areas. Occupant safety is further bolstered by a Formula One inspired ‘safety cell’.”

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.

Steering and brakes

The T.33 features a newly developed, bespoke rack and pinion, hydraulically assisted steering system calibrated to impart class-leading levels of feel and feedback.

The Brembo Carbon Ceramic Material (CCM) brake discs of the T.33 (370mm x 34mm front/340mm x 34mm rear) feature six-piston aluminium Monobloc alloy front callipers and four-piston aluminium Monobloc alloy rear callipers. The braking system and aerodynamics combine to produce incredible deceleration.

Wheels and tyres

The T.33 rides on unique and exceptionally light forged aluminium alloy 19-inch front and 20-inch rear wheels, weighing less than 7kg each. The wheels are wrapped in Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S tyres (235/35 R19 front, 295/30 R20 rear). The Michelin 4 S tyres provide superior all-round performance, with significantly lower replacement costs than bespoke tyres. They also offer further weight saving by being much smaller and narrower than those required by a conventional supercar due to the T.33’s low weight.

Professor Gordon Murray CBE: “Like its T.50 and T.50s predecessors, the T.33 is all about the driving experience. We have engineered the T.33 to provide exceptional levels of highly tactile and deeply immersive involvement to elevate the driver to a higher plane behind the wheel. Of course, safety is equally paramount, as is everyday usability in all weather conditions.
Our judiciously calibrated, non-invasive traction and stability systems are designed not to detract from the driving experience but are there to provide an additional level of confidence when called upon.”

Aerodynamics

When it launched in 2020, the GMA T.50 rewrote the supercar rulebook with the most advanced and effective aerodynamics ever seen on a road car, enabled by its unique rear-mounted fan. Now, it is the turn of the equally innovative T.33 to create a new era of road car ground effect aerodynamics.  This time there is no rear fan involved, but nevertheless, deploying numerous lessons learnt with the T.50 project Gordon Murray and his team have once more again raised the bar with the T.33’s Passive Boundary Layer Control (PBLC) system.

At the front of the car, a ground effect inlet channels air underneath the floor. A diffuser with a boundary layer removal duct activated by the base suction behind the car enables a level of aerodynamic efficiency that is 30 per cent more effective than the conventional ground effect supercar.

The ground effect dynamics provided by the PBLC system freed Gordon Murray and his design team from the need to equip the T.33 with the wings, skirts and vents that adorn most modern-day supercars. The only concession is the active rear spoiler, which deploys automatically, but can also be activated by the driver. The rear spoiler also provides a high downforce mode, increasing downforce and an aero enhanced braking function.

The boundary layer control ensures the most effective interaction of airflow on top of, and below the car, harmonising drag, downforce, and stability at all speeds and negates the need for aggressive front end aerodynamics devices.

Uniquely the RAM induction airbox is attached directly to the engine and is separate from the chassis.

Interior

To enter the cabin of many modern-day supercars is to enter a world of large touchscreens and endless sub menus that cause confusion and distraction. No touchscreens are found within the exquisitely, yet simply designed cabin of the T.33. As with the exterior, nothing is included unless it serves a purpose and if there was a danger it would dilute the driving experience, then it was simply deleted from the development programme. 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.

The T.33’s cabin, as with T.50 is absolutely driver focused and represents a return to beauty.  And while all of the main controls are rotary and analogue, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are included as standard.

The beautifully designed, flood-lit, 120mm diameter rev counter is gloriously, defiantly analogue, as are the remaining driver centric controls such as the aero, lights, aircon and HMI. 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.

Further confirmation, if needed, of the T.33’s pure driver focus takes the form of a unique carbon steering wheel and the multi-adjustable iStream® carbon seats utilising GMD’s patented cored, honeycomb carbon structure. The provision of a front stowage compartment and twin side luggage lockers offering a combined 280 litres of space, large enough for 6 cases, endows the T.33 with the practicality to undertake continent-crossing adventures.

Professor Gordon Murray CBE: “Our focus from day one of this project has been to deliver absolute driving perfection.  And while the engine may be the heart and soul of a supercar, the cabin and its controls provide the conduit through which the driver engages with the engine and the car’s other attributes. The T.33’s driver-focussed cabin enables each journey, no matter how short, to be relished free of distraction and it also provides the practicality for longer trips to be undertaken.”

Customer experience

The T.33 is truly a global car which will be homologated worldwide including full federal homologation. With just 100 examples being hand built by Gordon Murray Automotive at the company’s new global headquarters in Windlesham, Surrey, every single part of the car is bespoke, and each car can be personalised to meet the owner’s specific requirements.

The specification process includes GMA’s unique ergonomic seating buck where each car is tailored to the owner. Beyond this, GMA’s Special Vehicle (SV) department can deliver a unique T.33 supercar to a specification that is only limited by the owner’s imagination.

Customers can choose between right-hand or left-hand drive and manual or IGS paddle shift transmissions. They can collaborate with the GMA design team to configure their own bespoke ergonomic and interior specification and choice of body colour. A broad range of options, including an SVS sports pack, further expand the potential for personalisation.

The attention to detail in GMA’s unique customer journey goes beyond the personalisation and delivery process. GMA supercar ownership is an invitation to join the Gordon Murray Automotive family. The company’s ultra-experienced after sales team is set-up to support owners globally wherever they choose to drive their cars.

GMA cars are designed with sensible servicing costs in mind, through a global network of service centres and authorised workshops.

Professor Gordon Murray CBE: “I am extremely proud of our team who have relentlessly applied our core principles to deliver this amazing motor car.”

About Gordon Murray Automotive

Gordon Murray Automotive creates exclusive low volume sports cars – the T.50 supercar will be the brand’s first model with customer cars built from January 2022. The company is a sister company to Gordon Murray Design and was first announced in November 2017 during an exhibition, named ‘One Formula’, which celebrated Murray’s 50 years of car design.

About Professor Gordon Murray, CBE

Having spent 20 years as Technical Director to two Formula One teams from 1969-1990 Gordon Murray has a wealth of technical, design and engineering experience. At Brabham he was instrumental in two world championship wins (1981 and 1983) before three consecutive championship wins with McLaren Racing (1988, 1989 and 1990). In 1990 – after 50 Grand Prix wins – Gordon moved away from Formula One to concentrate on establishing a new company for the group, McLaren Cars Limited.

His first project there, the F1 road car, is still regarded as one of the world’s best-engineered cars. A racing version won two world sports car championships and the Le Mans 24-hour race in 1995. McLaren Cars then completed several other successful projects culminating in the Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren.

Gordon left McLaren in 2005 to set up Gordon Murray Design Ltd (in 2007), of which he is Chairman. The innovative British company is a world leader in automotive design, and reverses the current industry trend for sub-contracting by having a complete in-house capability for design, prototyping, and development.

In 2017, Gordon Murray Design celebrated the company’s 10-year anniversary along with that of the iStream® manufacturing process at a special event, named ‘One Formula’. Gordon also marked the 25th production anniversary of the McLaren F1 road car, and his 50th year of design and engineering.

In May 2019, Professor Murray was made a Commander of the British Empire (CBE) by the Duke of Cambridge, Prince William, in recognition of his contributions to the motorsport and automotive sectors over the past 50 years.