Few people in the automotive world would have heard the name McMurtry before the past weekend. But that all changed yesterday when its McMurtry Speirling prototype set a new all-time record at the recent Goodwood Festival of Speed. 

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Rocketship

The McMurtry Speirling grabbed the all time record at the Goodwood Festival of Speed by setting a time of 39,08 seconds. The man behind the wheel for this record-setting run was former F1 driver Max Chilton. Romain Dumas was the previous record-holder with Volkswagen ID.R. Romain Dumas he drove to a time of 39,9 seconds a few years ago.

Technological tour de force

The McMurtry Speirling is an all-electric model built by UK automotive McMurtry Automotive. The prototype track car weighs a scant 1 000 kg. Thanks to a powerful electric drivetrain it has a power to mass ratio of 746 kW/ton. Almost most impressive is the immense downforce the little car generates.

It employs twin fans to pull air from under the car. This means it can generate 2 000 kg without moving. At 240 km/h, the Spéirling produces more downforce than an F1 car. Thanks to the immense power-to-mass ratio the mini Batmobile can sprint from rest to 100 km/h in 1,5 seconds. It managed a top speed of 250 km/h during its run on Sunday.

In his own words

Chilton said after the event: “I never thought that was going to happen. If someone had said, ‘One day you’re going to beat every single person that’s ever gone up that hill,’ I wouldn’t have believed you. It’s a real honour.”

Watch the little car blast up the 1,8 km course, and bear in mind that this video is at regular speed.