Electric McMurtry Spéirling Supercar Becomes The First To ‘Drive’ Upside Down
The McMurtry Spéirling literally sucks.
The $1 million electric performance car uses a fan to create a near-vacuum underneath the vehicle that generates 4,400 pounds of downforce, which is double the weight of the vehicle.
The 1,000 hp British single-seater has put it to good use setting several speed records, including the all time fastest lap at the famous Top Gear test track, where it beat a 2004 Formula One car’s time by more than three seconds. Now it’s gone where no car has ever gone before.
To show off the capability of its suction feature, McMurtry built a rotating platform that company co-founder Thomas Yates drove the car onto, engaged the Downforce-on-Demand feature and sat in it as the vehicle was inverted.
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He then “drove” the car a couple of feet to the other end of the platform and stopped before it was rotated back to the upright position. The feat technically marks the first time a car has been driven while upside down, even if just for the shortest of distances.
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“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 in a news release. “With a longer inverted track or a suitable tunnel, we may be able to drive even further! Huge congratulations and thanks to the entire McMurtry Automotive team, especially the engineers involved in the car and fan system’s design, they are the heroes of today. ”
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Active vacuum systems like the Spéirling’s have been banned from most racing series for decades, but it is only meant to be a non-competitive track day car. With Downforce-on-Demand engaged it is capable of cornering at up to 3g and it can also accelerate to 60 mph in 1.5 seconds and cover a quarter-mile in eight seconds.
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The company plans to build up to a limit of 100 cars with deliveries scheduled to begin in 2026.