Gordan Murray Automotive reveals new T.33 Spider

In fact, to avoid being forced to learn the word, GMA have been developing the T.33 family in tandem – the coupe revealed last year, the Spider and another version we expect to see revealed this time next year. The coupe and spider were in fact side by side all the way back to Gordon Murray’s first profile sketches, with the boss wanting “to make sure that the proportions would work”.

It should come as no surprise then that the Spider very much resembles the coupe, with the prominent fixed loop proving essential in terms of style, aerodynamics and indeed safety. While incorporating the rollover structure, the singular structure is also better for airflow as opposed to two loops and obviously, is a surface atop which the engine-mounted inlet scoop can float. What doesn't carry over is the glass canopy over the inlet scoop, with a drop after the loop which now creates buttresses, fairing in a vented panel. Coming off the scoop is a small fin, in which the third brake light and rear-view camera sit.

Floating between the roll structure and the windscreen will be two removable roof panels which can be stored in the front trunk. In other words, the T.33’s roof and roof storage effectively mimic that of the Porsche Carrera GT.

Unlike the Carrera GT, having the roof off doesn’t mean you have no storage space in the T.33 Spider. Like the coupe, the Spider will feature unique space underneath its haunches, which hinge outwards to open to reveal 90 litres of space each.

Reflecting the more casual implication of top-down motoring, the four ‘Design Range spec themes brought by GMA for the T.33 Spider are a bit of fun. These will be influenced respectively by GMA core values of Return to Beauty and Engineering art, as well as The Murray Atholl tartan and Murray’s eclectic selection of tropical shirts. Oh yes. Differentiating the Spider from the coupe, apart from the obvious removable roof, are the new classy multi-spoke wheels. Might we say they go delightfully with the Azuro California-esque paint on this prototype.

The car’s aerodynamics – specifically its downforce generation – are mostly handled underneath the car, with Murray fully leveraging his ground effect chops. That means the T.33’s Passive Boundary Layer Control (PBLC) system carries over, with variable active ducts underneath the car that control how the air attaches to the car’s floor, working in tandem with a simple active spoiler atop its rump.

Areas where convertibles are often stunted over their hardtop counterparts are in weight and stiffness. In-tandem development of the coupe and Spider means the stiffness targets of both have been in the works from very early on. As for weight? The Spider is targeted to be just 18kg heavier than the coupe. Those targets are the same for ride, stiffness, steering and transient handling too, with the suspension effectively carryover bar minor calibration changes.

The most important bit that carries over? The 617PS (453kW) 4.0-litre GMA V12, developed by Cosworth and good for a 11,100rpm redline. Yes, it’s fed by that central air box that’s bolted directly to it, that’s now there to be heard just a few inches above and to the rear of the occupant’s heads. Imagine how visceral the induction roar could be. Unlike the T.33 coupe, the Spider will only be available with the manual transmission, as opposed to having the option of a six-speed paddle-shift gearbox, although there's a rub with that too, given the paddle-shift has been dropped for the Coupe as well, due to low demand.

As with all GMA road cars, just 100 T.33 Spiders are to be made, with prices coming in at over £500,000 more than the £1.37million (+ taxes) price mooted for the T.33 coupe this time last year. The price hike is put down to a jump in material costs, though the Coupe is due to hold at its stated price. Like the coupe also and unlike the T.50, the T.33 Spider should be available as a fully homolgated car the world over, with full US federalisation of the T.33 family planned.