Britain’s McMurtry Automotive has achieved a world first by driving its record-breaking Spéirling hyper track car completely upside down.
At its Gloucestershire headquarters, Thomas Yates, co-founder and managing director, used the car’s proprietary “Downforce-on-Demand” fan system to “suck” the hypercar to the floor of a purpose-built rotating rig.
This demonstration saw the vehicle, weighing 2,000kg of downforce, fully inverted and driven forward on a rotating platform, thereby overcoming the force of gravity.
The stunt forms part of a series of record-breaking achievements by the Spéirling. Recently, the hypercar also broke the Top Gear Test Track record by 3.1 seconds, surpassing a previous mark held by a 2004 V10 Renault R24 Formula 1 racecar. In addition, the Spéirling holds the outright records at both the Goodwood Festival of Speed Hillclimb and the Laguna Seca Corkskrew Hillclimb events.
The Spéirling, a single-seat electric hypercar, was envisioned by the late Sir David McMurtry and is developed by a small team of engineers.
Its unique patented system generates downforce across all speeds and even at a standstill, unlike conventional aerodynamic surfaces that require high speed to be effective.
This capability enables the hypercar to accelerate from 0 to 100kph in 1.6 seconds and corner with forces exceeding 3G.
The car, presented in a striking gloss black falcon camouflage livery on a matt black base coat, pays homage to the original McMurtry fan car displayed at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in 2021.
Graphics optimised for an inverted view are featured under the rear wing.
The record-setting vehicle used in the demonstration is the Spéirling PURE Validation Prototype 1 (VP1), an evolution of the initial record-setter and a precursor to the production model, of which only 100 units will be built.
Customer deliveries are slated for 2026, with enhancements including a higher 100kWh capacity battery that will extend track time.
Built to the rigorous motorsport safety standards of LMP1 cars, the Spéirling’s advanced downforce capabilities ensure both record-breaking performance and enhanced safety, even in emergency braking scenarios.
