The Highest-Revving Road-Legal Car In America
Typically, how high an engine can rev isn’t thought about much in the world of civilian, mass-market vehicles, where cars reach their redline typically somewhere between 6,000 and 7,000 rpm. The sort of arena where high rev limits matter is motorsport, specifically racing classes such as Formula One or NHRA drag racing. Having a high-revving engine is extremely advantageous in racing, because of simple math – torque multiplied by revs per minute is horsepower, so the higher the revs you can use, the higher the horsepower you can extract from an engine, especially a naturally aspirated one.
Of course, just because we don’t usually think about it in mass-market cars doesn’t mean it isn’t important, or just plain cool. There are loads of high-revvers on the market today, like the Lamborghini Revuelto, which manages to reach 9,500 rpm before needing to shift. Its Temerario sibling’s V8 engine can rev even higher – to 10,000 rpm. However, there’s one car that beats all others in the pursuit of having the highest rev limit of any street-legal, production car in the US; the Gordon Murray Automotive T.33.
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The following article focuses on the highest-revving production, street-legal vehicle sold in the United States. The GMA T.50, with a rev max of 12,100 rpm, is not street-legal in the United States. The Aston Martin Valkyrie – also with an 11,100-rpm redline, is only available under Show and Display in the US.
A Marvel Of Modern Automotive Engineering
Gordon Murray Automotive T.33 Key Points
- Boasts a rev limit of 11,100 rpm
- Employs a 4.0-liter naturally aspirated V12
- Production is limited to just 100 examples
- The T.33 sold out before production even commenced
- Pricing started at approximately $1.8 million
Just a few years ago, Gordon Murray Automotive (GMA) was a little-known, niche automaker nestled in the British village of Windlesham, Surrey. These days, it’s still nestled in the quaint English town, but GMA has recently made major automotive headlines. Their popularity began with the announcement of the GMA T.50, which would also become known as the highest-revving production car in the world. Its production commenced in 2023.
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Much to the dismay of supercar enthusiasts in the United States, the T.50 would not be sold here, as it was not granted street-legal status. However, GMA’s next project, the T.33, will be street legal over here, and it’s not much of a slouch, either. While it can’t rev to 12,100 rpm like its older brother, it can still get up there with the best of them at 11,100 rpm. That means, the T.33 is the highest-revving car ever sold in the US to-date.
Currently, the T.33’s production status isn’t well-known. GMA announced that production was slated to commence at some point between the end of 2024 and the beginning of 2025, but the supercar maker has yet to release any official information regarding the GMA T.33’s actual production commencement. We’re sure many folks are waiting with bated breath like we are, especially those 100 lucky customers who have already reserved their own T.33.
How The T.33 Makes Its Power
GMA didn’t create that marvelous V12 on their own. GMA’s founder, Gordon Murray, approached world-renowned engine maker Cosworth for help with designing a motor for his then-planned supercars. Murray chose Cosworth for his engine builder because he’d worked with Cosworth engines in the past, and he considers them to be part of his heritage. Couple Cosworth’s involvement and Gordon Murray’s extensive background in racing design, and you can bet the fruits of their labor will be sensational.
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Below, we’ll tackle the GMA T.33’s detailed engine specs:
|
Engine Details |
3.99-Liter Cosworth GMA NA DOHC 32-Valve V12 |
|---|---|
|
Horsepower |
607 hp @ 10,500 rpm |
|
Torque |
333 lb-ft @ 9,500 rpm |
|
Bore x Stroke |
81.5 mm x 63.8 mm |
|
Compression Ratio |
14.0:1 |
|
Engine Weight |
392 lbs |
|
Curb Weight |
2,403 lbs |
*Specs courtesy of GMA
The Cosworth GMA V12 showcases modern automotive engineering at its finest. The engine itself has been described as “sonorous” in its operation, and boasts several leading-edge technological accouterments. For starters, its extremely high compression ratio rivals most other cars seen on the roads today. It also features an exhaust system made out of a material called Inconel, a nickel-aluminum superalloy, along with titanium.
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The Gordon Murray-designed Brabham BT44B Formula One car will also be displayed.
Some of the Cosworth GMA’s internals are also made from titanium, such as its connecting rods and valves. Its pistons are made of something GMA refers to as a metal matrix composite, which uses ceramic particles combined with metal to form a stronger material. The Cosworth GMA’s block and heads are cast from aluminum alloy in order to keep the engine’s weight as low as possible. As of now, no T.33 performance specs have been confirmed by GMA, and while it’s been speculated that its 0-60 mph time will sit right around 3.0 seconds and its top speed will reach 208 mph, these numbers are just speculation until verified. Regarding performance figures, GMA have stated it’s more focused on creating a car that focuses more on the driving experience rather than outright speed, so there’s a method to this performance-spec ambiguity, after all.
The T.33 Will Have A Close Sibling
In conjunction with the much-anticipated arrival of the T.33, GMA will also be producing a convertible version called the T.33 Spider. According to Gordon Murray himself, he’d been planning to build a fixed-head coupe and spider version of the T.33 since he originally began sketching the T.33’s design. The T.33 Spider will feature targa-style removable roof panels that don’t intrude upon the air intake mounted in the center of the roof.
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It gets the same naturally aspirated V12 and six-speed manual from the coupe version.
Reportedly, the T.33 Spider will only weigh 40 pounds more than the regular T.33, which is a remarkable achievement. Typically, when you cut the roof off of a cr and turn it into a convertible or targa top, engineers need to add some extra bracing to the car to make up for the lack of roof support, which can become a heavy endeavor. Thanks to Murray’s design expertise, the T.33’s weight stays low, which means performance will, most likely, be virtually unaffected. A total of 100 T.33 Spiders will be produced, with an expected starting price of approximately $2.4 million.
Highest-Revving Car In The ‘States Runner-Up
When it comes to the second-highest revving car in the US, it’s 11,000-rpm rev max is close to the T.33’s. The model in question is called the 21C, and it’s made by another boutique supercar maker by the name of Czinger. Based in California, Czinger burst onto the scene in 2019 and released the 21C two years later. It boasts a 2.88-liter hybrid V8 equipped with a pair of turbochargers. In total, the 21C produces 1,250 horsepower, with an option to upgrade to a 1,350-horsepower version.
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Currently, the 21C holds the lap record for production cars at Laguna Seca with a time of 1:24.75. In addition, it also holds the lap record at the Circuit of the Americas with a time of 2:10.70 and at the Goodwood Festival of Speed Hillclimb, clocking in at 48.82 seconds. The 21C’s production is limited to just 80 units at a price of $2 million. Production commenced in 2023, and is currently ongoing.
The 11,000-RPM Mercedes-AMG ONE Is Disqualified, As Is The Aston Martin Valkyrie
Keen followers of current supercars will have already pointed out that there’s another contender for the second-highest-revving vehicle runner-up, the 2023 Mercedes-AMG ONE. However, the breathtaking model does not qualify for our write-up because its powertrain does not comply with American emissions regulations. Mercedes-Benz commented on the AMG ONE’s lack of US sales, stating they were not interested in modifying its 1,063-horsepower 1.6L V6 hybrid powertrain to comply with US emissions standards, leaving us without Merc’s most recent marvel of engineering.
Sources: Gordon Murray Automotive, Czinger, Mercedes-Benz.
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