Gravity-Defying McMurtry Spéirling Is First Car to Drive Upside Down From Idle
McMurtry Automotive, the U.K.-based, high-performance electric car maker that set a new all-time hillclimb record at the Goodwood Festival of Speed back in 2022, hasn’t stopped blowing our minds ever since.
In a stunning world first, the company has managed to drive its Batmobile-like Spéirling upside down from stationary. Yes, you’ve read that correctly.
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With co-founder and managing director Thomas Yates behind the wheel, the technology demonstration took place at McMurtry’s headquarters in Gloucestershire, England and was attended by employees and independent judges. It was captured in the following video, no special effects required:
How is that possible? Well, as you can imagine, it’s all about downforce. The Spéirling’s underbody-mounted fan system produces “Downforce-on-Demand” to literally suck the hypercar to the floor and defy gravity. Importantly, this downforce is available at any speed, even at a standstill, whereas other hypercars and race cars can only produce downforce at high speeds.
“This demonstration was an exciting proof of concept using a small purpose-built rig, but is perhaps just the beginning of what’s possible,” Yates said. “With a longer inverted track or a suitable tunnel, we may be able to drive even further!”
The McMurtry Spéirling, which weighs less than 1,000 kg and can accelerate from 0-100 km/h in just 1.4 seconds or run the quarter-mile in 8 seconds, is still at the prototype stage. A production model will eventually launch, with no more than 100 units, and the first deliveries are scheduled for 2026. At that point, it will employ a battery of over 100 kWh, providing 20 minutes of track time at GT3 pace and record-breaking performance for multiple hot laps, the company claims.
In addition to its upside-down feat, the Spéirling recently smashed the Top Gear Test Track record by 3.1 seconds (the previous record holder was a V10-powered Renault R24 Formula 1 race car from 2004). It also holds the Laguna Seca Corkskrew Hillclimb record.