Record-Breaking McMurtry Speirling EV To Spawn Road-Legal Variant

The small yet absurdly fast electric fan car that wowed the crowds at the Goodwood Festival of Speed over the weekend by setting a new outright record on the hillclimb course will reportedly get a production version.

British EV startup McMurtry Automotive says it plans to launch a road-legal version of the Spéirling electric single-seater, Autocar reports. The company's managing director Thomas Yates confirmed to the publication that a road-going model will enter production, offering similar performance to the EV that can do zero to 60 mph (96 km/h) in under 1.5 seconds.

"We want to provide something that you can drive through the centre of London, and then take onto a track. It will never be the most comfortable over speed bumps, but that’s not really the point. The point is you have this unbelievable, loud, exciting, electric really compact car that you know will be the fastest [car] at any track day you attend. It is also future proof, with no emissions and emits only the stuff that was on the floor before you got there."

Yates was obviously referring to the Spéirling's unusual "powered downforce" electric fan and ground-hugging underbody skirt that lift dust and debris off the ground as the EV speeds past.

Gallery: McMurtry Spéirling at the Goodwood Festival of Speed

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The executive noted that the road-going car will get the same powertrain as the current track prototype, which has a claimed power-to-weight ratio of 1,000 horsepower per tonne and a 60-kWh battery providing power to a host of electric motors powering both the fans and the rear axle.

He added that McMurtry Automotive wants the road-legal car to stick to the fully working prototype as closely as possible, although some tweaks will have to be made to ensure the Spéirling will receive certification to drive on public roads. For example, the production model will have a reduced amount of aero and will gain headlights and windscreen wipers, among other things.

As you would expect, only a handful of these bonkers electric fan cars will be made, with Yates saying they will cost "seven figures." That's at least £1 million, or $1.22 million at the current exchange rate. 

Speaking of the fans, which draw inspiration from the Gordon Murray-designed 1978 Brabham BT46 Formula 1 car, they will be featured on the Spéirling road car but will only be usable as part of a Track mode. When activated, the system delivers 2,000 kilograms (4,409 pounds) of downforce from a standstill on the prototype, more than a Formula 1 car produces at 150 mph (241 km/h).

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