Every year more and more interesting sporty EVs turn up to the Goodwood Festival of Speed, and this year’s McMurtry Spéirling is among the coolest ever. It’s a small, single-seater electric track special that not only has a power to weight ratio of 1 hp/kg, but it also has massive fans in the rear that provide downforce.
The mere notion that you can control the amount of downforce applied to the rear through a paddle on the steering yoke opens up a whole new world of possibilities for driving enthusiasts. Many keen drivers often say they prefer a sporty car with a manual gearbox because it is more engaging and there’s just more to do.
Gallery: McMurtry Spierling
Actively controlling how much downforce is applied to certain parts of the car would certainly add something to the experience. It would bring back the engagement and add an entirely new dimension to quick driving.
The motors for the fans make 80 horsepower and when turned all the way up, they apparently generate up to 120 decibels. In person it reportedly sounds like an actual jet engine; check it out below in this AutoTrader video.
The Spéirling has 1,000 horsepower and apparently it’s only rear-wheel drive. It’s a very small and narrow vehicle made entirely out of carbon fiber. It has a 60 kWh battery pack and it can apparently be driven for between 30 and 60 minutes quickly before it runs out.
Its makers say it weighs under one ton and it looked very maneuverable when it went up the hill at Goodwood this weekend. It literally looked like it was glued to the road, which it actually was, thanks to the active downforce system.
There’s not a lot of information out on the vehicle. Its makers, McMurtry Automotive, founded in 2016 and headquartered in Gloucestershire, say the Spéirling is
Their experimental, pure electric, track car concept.
The ultimate no-rules track car by exploring the route that uninhibited technical evolution would have taken from the golden age of racing to shape the motorsport of today.
McMurtry also mentions on its site that its
Mission to be the future of motorsport informs everything we do, starting with our goal to develop a record breaking track car. McMurtry vehicles demonstrate to the world the superiority of small when it comes to being faster and going further.
After presenting the Spéirling at Goodwood Festival of Speed, McMurtry will embark on a programme to break a number of world records with the demonstrator vehicle and show its true motorsport potential.
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