The T33 Spider packs the same 607bhp Cosworth-made 3.9-litre V12 as its coupe sibling
Supercar loses its roof, keeps the manual and gains just 18kg “to offer the ultimate spider experience”
A topless variant of the GMA T33 will be the fourth car released from Gordon Murray Automotive, arriving in 2025 with a near-£500,000 premium over its coupé sibling.
Equipped with a targa-style roof and new design from the A-pillar backwards, the Spider is more than just a rebodied T33, founder Gordon Murray presses.
The £1.8million supercar, of which “around half” of the 100 allocation have already sold, weighs just 18kg heavier than its 1090kg sibling, down mostly to “single grams from every component” being shaved across the car. The carbon roof, which splits into two panels and is stored in the ‘frunk’, also plays a role.
Fitted with the same rear-mounted 607bhp Cosworth-made 3.9-litre V12, Murray says the new T33 – which sits around the size of a Porsche 718 Boxster – arrives with a simple purpose: “To offer the ultimate spider experience.”
Key to this isn’t performance numbers – nothing was lost from the standard T33, although Murray said: “I really don’t care about figures” – but how it feels to drive.
Party pieces include an electronically dropping rear window and an intake protruding above the cockpit (which feeds straight to the naturally aspirated V12 that revs to 11,100rpm) “brings the engine into the car”.
“We wanted to make the Spider experience even more visceral and create an experience that no other car can offer”, added Murray, who penned the car along with design assistant Kevin Richards.
“This is not a car to be driven down the boulevard at 10mph. This is not a poser’s car; this is going to be a quick motorcar.”
Although arriving a year after the standard T33, the open-top supercar was actually the first version to be drawn up, Murray told Autocar: “Spiders are a compromise, unfortunately, so when we did this we made absolutely sure our minimum torsional target was set for this car [the Spider], and not the coupé, so if the coupé is stiffer, that’s a bonus.”
Inside, like the coupé, the tight cabin has been set up with a focus on driving. A thin steering wheel (“I don’t like thick wheels”) will offer maximum road feel, while a long-stalked six-speed manual box from Xtrac again adds to the “experience”.
Hugging seats are fitted slightly reclined for a relaxed but still engaging driving position. Flared wheel arches and a short, sloping bonnet aid wheel placement, Murray added.
Elsewhere in the cabin, the Dunsfold-based firm has also done away with indicator/wiper stalks in favour of steering-wheel mounted buttons. A paddle has even been added for the horn. Drivers will pair their phones via Android Auto and Apple CarPlay to act as the T33’s infotainment.
Practically, a rarity for a modern-day supercar, returns with the Spider, offering 295 litres of storage space – nearly as much as a Vauxhall Corsa – or 180 when the roof is stored.
Production is due to begin in mid-2025, following the end of the coupé’s build phase that will start in the autumn before.
Source: Autocar
