Gordon Murray's First Convertible, the T.33 Spider, Is Ready to Storm U.S. Roads

• Gordon Murray's Cosworth V12 makes a return in the T.33, with a screaming 11,100 rpm redline.
• The drop-top T.33 can stow a weekend's luggage and the roof panels thanks to clever storage in front of the rear wheels.
• Only 100 will be made, each costing a cool $2.4 million.

Gordon Murray’s internal combustion highlight reel continues with this — the new GMA T.33 Spider. The latest from Gordon Murray Automotive (GMA), the new topless supercar is powered by the same 3.9-liter V12 as the coupe. Just like the hardtop T.33, the Spider revs to an utterly hilarious 11,100 rpm. All told, the powertrain produces 608 horsepower and 333 lb-ft of torque that it sends to the rear wheels through a six-speed manual transmission. To boot, the press materials claim that this magic engine is the lightest V12 in the world at just 392 pounds. This is also the first time it's been slotted into a convertible.

GMA’s T.33 Spider is a miracle of packaging as well as internal combustion. The car, which transforms into an open-road experience via the two removable carbon-fiber roof panels, has two 3.2-cubic-foot storage cells. These are situated just forward of the rear wheels on either side and are so large it appears a small child could fit in them easily. Murray, the famous designer of the McLaren F1, said he wanted the panels to fit in the car in addition to a week’s luggage for two. Those will fit into the front trunk that's just over 4 cubic feet.

Murray is famous for his intense focus on lightweighting without compromise. Typically, an open-air car has the opposite effect. Though Murray is as close to a wizard as engineers get, the team at GMA ended up with a Spider that is heavier than a coupe. However, the difference is an almost negligible 40 pounds — well, negligible for us. We're sure Murray was sweating the extra weight. GMA quotes a dry weight of just 2,442.7 pounds. During development of the T.33, individual parts were weighed and checked to satisfy Murray’s requirements — even the pedals have been hollowed out to make the car lighter.

None of this comes at the expense of modernity, however. GMA says that Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are included, and a set of screens flank the beautiful analog tachometer. These house all of the car’s functions, climate controls included. The intent behind the unique layout is to ensure ease of use from the wheel, and it eschews the need for a big distracting center screen that, in the end, would only add more weight anyway.

Previously, GMA announced that the T.33 and its various versions would be available in America. Originally, the T.50, Murray’s F1 successor, was not. Of course, the car isn’t cheap no matter where it spends its life. In real U.S. dollars, GMA is charging $2.4 million, supposing there are any build slots left. Production is set to start in summer 2025.

Edmunds says

The T.33 Spider is everything a real gearhead could want — a screaming F1-like V12, a manual transmission, and no roof to get in the way of all that noise. Of course, few will ever experience it. Only 100 will be made, and it's a crying shame Murray hasn't found a way to mass-produce something for the rest of us. Until that day, we'll have to drool from afar.