The second supercar built by Gordon Murray Automotive is called T.33. In many ways, it is a T.50 made more daily usable and cheaper - well, cheaper but by no means cheap. Although this car starts at a full £1 million lower than the flagship T.50, it still costs £1.37 million before tax. That's enough to buy you 4 Ferrari SF90s. On the plus side, its production is limited to 100 cars like the T.50. A roadster and a track-oriented derivative will follow, but the total will still be fewer than, say, Bugatti Chiron.

The T.33 is designed according to the taste of Murray. He loves classic sports racing cars in the 1960s, such as Alfa Romeo Tipo 33, Ferrari Dino 206 SP, P2 and P3. This is reflected in the T.33's flowing waist line and uncluttered shape. The largely passive aerodynamics also makes this pure form possible. It uses a pair of underbody diffusers located behind the front wheels to generate positive downforce, so it needs no massive front splitters or fins. The only active aero aid is a retractable rear spoiler, but it rests flush in the body when the car is stationary. Unlike the T.50, there is no fan at its tail.

Without aggressive aero, the car might not look like a top-tier supercar. In fact, its refined shape and a wraparound rear screen remind me what the current mid-engined Corvette should have been, and what an opportunity missed out by GM. The only aggressive detail on its exterior is the roof-mounted snorkel. Obviously, this is one of the favourite signatures of Gordon Murray, as you can see the same thing on the original McLaren F1 as well as the T.50. However, this time the snorkel is fixed to the engine instead of bodywork, so it moves a little bit when the motor is under throttle.



The T.33 is a compact supercar. At 4398mm long, 1850mm wide and 1135mm tall, it is 58mm shorter, 50mm wider and a massive 134mm lower than a Porsche Cayman GT4, yet its 2735mm wheelbase exceeds that of the Porsche by 251mm, something necessary to accommodate its V12 motor. Compared with T.50, it is 46mm longer in lenght and 35mm longer in wheelbase, but shares the same width.

While the T.50 employs a carbon-fiber tub for its chassis, the T.33 makes use of Murray's patented iStream Superlight construction, which is cheaper and easier to build for higher volume. It is made of tubular aluminum frames running almost the full length of the car, reinforced by bonded carbon-fiber panels with aluminum honeycomb cores, then dressed in carbon-fiber bodywork. Targetting at a kerb weight of under 1100kg, it is heavier than the T.50, which weighs just 986kg with fluid, but still undercuts other supercars by hundreds of kilograms.

As in T.50, the rear suspensions are mounted directly at the transmission casing, so the powertrain acts as semi-stressed member. Vibration is taken care by engine and transmission bushings. The passive, all-double-wishbone suspension seems to be carried over from the T.50, as are the Brembo ceramic brakes (370mm and 340mm, 6-pot and 4-pot front and rear) and pure road tires at modest sizes (Michelin Pilot Sport 4S, 235/35ZR19 front, 295/30ZR20 rear). However, while the T.50 uses an unassisted steering (electric motor engages only at low speed), the T.33 makes do with a hydraulic steering to suit its friendlier road manner, and hopefully without losing tactile feel.



The Cosworth-built 4-liter naturally aspirated V12 is a detuned version of the existing unit. It produces 615 horsepower at 10,500 rpm, compared with 663 hp at 11,500 rpm on T.50, and redlines at 11,100 rpm, 1000 rpm lower than the flagship model. It gets different cylinder heads, intake, exhaust and camshafts to improve drivability. Although peak torque is down slightly from 344 to 333 pound-feet (still arrives at a sky-high 9000 rpm), its torque curve gets flatter, offering 250 lbft at 2500 rpm (versus 244 on T.50). 90 percent of its maximum torque is available between 4500 and 10500 rpm.

However, to get the best of it you need to work harder on the Xtrac 6-speed manual gearbox, which comes from the T.50 but with bespoke ratios. Buyers chasing for higher performance may opt for the same supplier's IGS sequential paddle-shift gearbox, which is adapted from touring cars and shared with T.50S Niki Lauda, but Murray said only 3 customers chose it among the 50 cars or so already sold, embarrassingly.

Although the T.33 matches many supercars for power to weight ratio, without a twin-clutch gearbox, launch control, 4-wheel drive, turbocharged torque or electric assistance, it is unlikely to match them in any performance measurement, or even a Porsche 911 Turbo S. That's why Gordon Murray declines to offer any performance figures and stresses that pure driving thrill is the focus of this car.



Inside the cabin, you will find one big difference from the T.50: it is a conventional 2-seater rather than a 3-seater with central driving position, so the driver is easier to get in and out. The cockpit doesn't lack space, but the focus is on driving. The seats are thinnly padded carbon-fiber buckets. The steering wheel has no fancy touch-sensitve buttons. There is no touchscreen either, though you can pair it to your smartphone with CarPlay or Android Auto. Behind the no-nonsense steering wheel is a conventional anaologue tachometer, flanked by 2 small screens and 3 physical switches at either sides. More switches and rotary control can be found on the floating center console, where a classical stick shift with globe knob is located. There is absolutely no space behind the seats to store your belongings, but the car offers 3 luggage compartments, one at the nose and 2 at the sides just fore of the rear wheels.

The T.33 is certainly not as spectacular as the T.50. In some ways, it seems a bit overpriced for the ingredients or performance it offers. However, being the very last analogue combustion supercar on the market - Murray said his next new car will go electrified inevitably - the thrills it offers could be priceless. The fact that it is easier to live with than the T.50 should make such thrills more accessible. Prototype testing will start in June this year, and first delivery is set at early 2024.

You might remember the GRMN Yaris that came and went away a few years back. The label stands for "Gazoo Racing tuned by the Meister of the Nürburgring", as Toyota set up a technical center near Nurburgring for testing and tuning its most serious performance cars. This means the new GRMN Yaris is even more exotic than the GR Yaris. In fact, it is a limited edition offered exclusively to the Japanese market. Only 500 units will be built, and sold for 7.3 million yen before options, which is a whopping 60 percent more than the most expensive version of GR Yaris. That should translate to £54,000 if it was sold in the UK.

The 1.6-liter 3-cylinder turbo engine is left mostly untouched in this conversion. Like the JDM GR Yaris, it produces 272hp, which is slightly higher than the European version. However, remapped ECU releases another 15 lbft of torque in the mid-range, peaking at 288 lbft. Therefore, the clutch is reinforced as well. To enhance acceleration, the first 4 ratios of the 6-speed manual gearbox have been made closer. Both the center and rear differentials have been changed from Torsen to clutch type units to enhance lock-up in extreme conditions.

The chassis is also modified quite extensively. The body shell gets 10mm wider while ride height is dropped by 10mm. Apart from roof, the bonnet also becomes carfon-fiber. The monocoque has been reinforced by more spot welds and adhesives as well as adding a cross brace between the rear suspension. This means the rear seat has to go away. Meanwhile, the front seats have been replaced with heavily sculpted Recaro buckets, while infotainment system has been ditched to save weight. Overall, the car is 20kg lighter than the standard GR Yaris.

Besides, there are 2 optional packages. Circuit pack adds a carbon rear wing with swan neck mounting brackets, extra lip spoiler and side skirts, as well as BBS wheels and Bilstein adjustable dampers. Rally pack gets different suspension tuning, roll bar and underguard.