Gordon Murray’s All-New ‘Entry-level’ GMA T.33 Looks Happy to be Here

Unlike the mental GMA T.50 and the track-hungry T.50s Niki Lauda, the all-new GMA T.33 supercar is meant to offer a slightly more subdued level of performance, making it more accessible for drivers that still want analog driving excitement but in something that is easier to handle on the road.

The model looks to be inspired in design by the DeTomaso Vallelunga and is powered by a re-worked version of the same Cosworth-developed, 3.9-liter, naturally aspirated V12 in the T.50, except it can ‘only’ rev to about 11,100 rpm instead of the stratospheric 12,000+ rpm in its bigger brother.

Tipping the scales at just 178 kg (392 pounds), the new powerplant is 30 kg lighter than the BMW V12 used by the McLaren F1, while delivering no less than 615 PS at a mind-bending 10,500 rpm and 451 Nm (332 lb-ft) of torque at 9,000 rpm. While that sounds like a screamer unfit for regular road driving, no less than 75 percent of the maximum torque comes in at just 2,500 rpm and 90 percent of it is available between 4,500 and 10,500 rpm.

According to Professor Murray, it will be the last non-hybrid powertrain ever to be offered by its new supercar company.

The new engine can be paired either with a manual six-speed transmission developed by Xtrac or an automated paddle shift version fitted with Xtrac’s Instantaneous Gearchange System (IGS), which probably sounds cooler than it actually shifts, since it’s essentially an automated manual.

The manual gearbox only weight 82 kg, while the automated paddle shift version tips the scales at just 78 kg, making it the “lightest supercar paddle shift gearbox.”

Unlike the T.50 and T.50s Niki Lauda, the new T.33 only has two seats, with the driver sitting on one side of the car, like in pretty much all other production cars and unlike its two brothers or the McLaren F1, which was also developed by Gordon Murray.

Developed to offer slightly more creature comforts for its occupants, the new GMA T.33 features things like standard Apple CarPlay and Android Auto and no less than 280 liters of luggage space, spread over three compartments.

Despite that, the car’s target weight is a mere 1,090 kg (2,403 pounds), making it lighter than just about any other production supercar on the planet, save for the featherweight T.50.

While the main talking point of its more powerful and more expensive brothers was the ground-effect inducing fan at the rear, the T.33 uses a less flamboyant way to generate a massive amount of downforce.

Something called the Passive Layer Control (PBCL) system consists of an inlet that channels the air underneath the floor, while a rear diffuser with a boundary layer removal duct is activated by the base suction behind the car, enabling an aerodynamic efficiency that GMA says it is 30 percent more effective than on the T.50 and its giant fan.

Even though on paper it looks like a more down-to-earth entry level model in the GMA lineup, the new T.33 will be just as exclusive as the other, with only 100 units set to be ever built at the company’s new headquarters in Windlesham, Surrey.

Pretty much every single part of the car is bespoke, and each and every car can be customized to meet the owner’s specific requirements. Both right-hand drive and left-hand driver versions will be made, and its homologation process will be made worldwide, including the U.S.

The only detail left to imagination at this time is the car’s starting price, but considering that it is a highly customizable, limited-edition lightweight supercar, you can bet your bank account will need to be the opposite of ‘lightweight.’