1. It’s the size of a Porsche Cayman – but with a V12 engine…
Gordon Murray’s track record is second-to-none. In the ’80s the man designed some unbeatable F1 cars, and in the ’90s he created the McLaren F1, a car still regarded by many as the finest supercar ever built. Now he’s back with his second new supercar in as many years, the T.33. The T.50, unveiled in 2020, was a three-seater like the old F1. The new T.33 has just two, in a car that’s the size of a Porsche Cayman but, at 1090kg, considerably lighter. And where the benchmark German sports car has either a turbocharged flat-four or a flat-six engine, the T.33 has a 607bhp V12…
2. The engine is special
The V12 is the Rolex of engine configurations (Ferrari, Lamborghini and Aston Martin are fans), and the T.33’s motor is special. The 3994cc unit uses no turbochargers, makes peak power at 10,500rpm and will, if you keep the machined-alloy throttle pedal pinned, spin well past 11,000rpm… The T.50, which uses as a similar engine, sounded incredible when it ran for the first time at Goodwood last year – lucky T.33 owners can expect the same spine-tingling soundtrack.
3. You can have it with a manual ’box
Murray’s road cars are synonymous with an analogue, purist approach to performance car engineering. The F1 used a manual gearbox and, despite its monstrous performance, had no real driver-assistance electronics. The T.33 can be ordered with a six-speed manual and three pedals in the footwell. A six-speed twin-clutch auto is also being offered, but most buyers (just 100 T.33s will be built in total) have gone for the the manual, naturally.
4. It’ll be a shock if it isn’t awesome to drive
The T.33’s specification reads like some kind of dream car wish-list, with a strong but light part-carbonfibre chassis, double-wishbone suspension all round and ceramic brakes. The car’s lack of weight should also make it indecently fast. There are no official numbers yet but reckon on 0-62mph in under 3.0 seconds and a top speed north of 200mph…
5. It’s not going to be cheap
The way in which Gordon Murray Automotive designs, engineers and builds its cars has its upsides (breath-taking performance, exquisite finishes, immaculate engineering) and its downsides, mainly that it ain’t cheap. The T.33 is being offered for £1.37m plus taxes, which is a lot of money. But in the weird world of supercars the T.33 looks like a bit of a bargain to us. Ferrari’s comparable SP3 Daytona may be more powerful but it’s also heavier, its big V12 can’t rev as high, it’ll be far less exclusive (Ferrari’s building 599 of them) and it costs circa £1.66 million…
Gordon Murray Automotive T.33: £1.37m, 607bhp V12, less than 3.0sec 0-62mph, more than 200mph
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