Five years ago, a small British electric car took the hypercar world by storm. The McMurtry Spéirling certainly look strange, but prototypes almost immediately set about shattering records. The fastest car ever up the Goodwood hillclimb, a faster lap time than a Renault R24 F1 car around the Top Gear test track. After years of dropping jaws during development, the production-spec Spéirling Pure is here, and it looks like it will live up to the hype.
Right off the bat, the production car is slightly larger than the prototype, 11 percent longer and 14 percent wider to be precise. This growth in overall dimensions supports a much larger battery pack containing 100 kWh of energy versus the prototype’s 60 kWh, which translates to greater runtime at maximum attack. The Spierling Pure as delivered to customers claims 40 to 50 kilometers range at LMP2 pace, and If you’ve ever watched a multi-class endurance race, you’ve probably seen LMP2 cars blow past GT4 cars like they’re standing still.
Granted, more battery cells mean more weight. A lot more weight. An extra 1,000 pounds over the prototype. However, since the prototype was so light, that just means the Spéirling Pure only weighs 145 pounds more than a new Subaru BRZ while still serving up 1,000 horsepower, a top speed of 190 MPH, and that utterly entrancing fan system.
Similar to the prototype, a two-fan system spinning at up to 23,000 RPM rapidly evacuates air from underneath the Spéirling Pure, resulting in up to 4,400 pounds of downforce from an absolute standstill. This makes the hypercar able to be driven upside-down, and results in some truly silly performance figures. Think zero-to-60 mph in 1.55 seconds, along with peak cornering and braking forces of three gs. That’s Le Mans Hypercar territory.
Beyond the head-bending statistics, McMurtry has also thought about usability. The production car gets a new carbon fiber monocoque that conforms to motorsport safety standards whilst allowing for better ergonomics. The door aperture’s wider, the new A-pillars reportedly reduce blind spots, and McMurtry claims the Spéirling Pure can accommodate drivers up to six-foot-seven. You can even option air-con so you don’t cook in the cockpit when tarmac temperatures are well over 100 degrees.
Then there’s the suspension, which has been updated from the prototype in rather considerate ways. A 20 percent taller ride height, increased articulation, and higher-profile tires should cope better with bumpy tracks and a bit of curbing, making things a bit more comfortable for those who don’t have the physique of a top-level racing driver. On the subject of handling bits, the Spéirling Pure’s actually gone from electric power steering to an electrohydraulic setup for improved feel and feedback.
Of course, such otherworldly performance doesn’t come cheap. The McMurtry Spéirling Pure starts at $1.3 million, which is a lot for a trackday toy that’s time attack-eligible. Replacement Michelin S8M slicks cost between $800 and $900 each too, but when it comes to this sort of speed, the Spéirling Pure is a relative bargain. Unlike most prototype race cars, it doesn’t require a full crew of people to run it. McMurtry says a driver and a “competent friend” are all you need. What’s more, there are no engine rebuilds or clutch replacements or special, expensive warm-up equipment required beyond maybe a set of tire warmers. Since most race tracks don’t have DC fast chargers in their pits, McMurtry’s even cooked up a special power bank for the Spéirling. It plugs into the wall, features 100 kWh of capacity and 120 kW of output, and should be able to juice the car up in under an hour so it can get back to shattering lap records.
While there have been fan cars made before the McMurtry Spéirling, nothing’s existed quite on this level that people can actually buy. Expect a public debut at The Quail in Monterey, Calif. next month, with deliveries starting later this year. Who will be the first to run on in Global Time Attack or Time Attack Masters? I can’t wait to find out.
Top graphic image: McMurtry Automotive
Am I imagining that there is a single seat but two doors?
At least that makes it suitable for both countries that drive on the right and countries that drive on the left, but there must be another reason
Even as scrupulous as most tracks are about keeping the surface clean, there’s gotta be some supersonic missiles created by all this air movement, right? One tiny bit of tire tread travelling at speed could demolish other cars…
You don’t need high air velocity to create large pressure differentials. Certainly not supersonic.
THIS is how you make a splash with your car designs!
From the profile, I thought it might be a 2-seater side-by-side, and it reminds me of some of the older racecars. And that green has been done right!
the Chris Harris video is very interesting & worth viewing to see this thing in action
Forza Horizon 6 when?
This is the only one of these track only million dollar hypercar things that is interesting to me.
Seeing it move just shatters your perception of what a car is capable of.
100% agree. Reading those stats it absolutely is the most intriguing. And I love the look and shape. It has Ka-chow! specs so why not look like Lightning McQueen as well.
@autopian , perhaps some coverage of current time attack racing programs… history too. Be a cool series of articles to follow
Agreed, these things are cool. And actually obtainable- not in the price tag sense, but rather the lack of external logistics required to run it hard. Someone clearly thought it out.
Still missing “Apex Position”. Pass.
Good luck selling these without the $7,500 tax credit.
I’m quite surprised after watching the Harris video on it recently that they have made such major changes in battery capacity and overall size. They seemed properly fixated on it being tiny.
The original was basically only good for setting hot laps. Fine for setting records but hard to put up with as a “civilian” customer who might want to have a whole day of fun at the track.
For me, that this car exists is good. Will never own or drive one, but it can be appreciated for the engineering, much like modern art, for which I have less appreciation. Just consider this cost relative to the paintings of Ellsworth Kelly.
I’ll believe it when I see it. Also – ugly as hell.
Peter Vieira says he likes cars with windows below the beltline. Well then he should love this, it’s not a wedge but if you drive it upside down, the windows are below the beltlines.
One of the only hypercars I find at all interesting. They need to put fans back in major race series *coughF1* so they can shrink the cars back to a size where they can actually pass each other again. That or a race series of Speirlings would be some pretty interesting racing.
This car sucks and it blows.
Literally
Truly the Mega-Maid of hypercars
This OR 2 Ferrari Luce’s?
With ground clearance that low, be careful with those strip mall speedbumps.
The cornering speeds this thing will be capable of are going to show owners why F1 drivers have incredibly strong neck muscles.
I don’t think I could physically operate that car anywhere near its performance potential.
Seriously. If it would fit in the cockpit I’d ask for a halo seat from the factory. (And if I had $1.3M, which…no.)
I’ve had so many whiplash injuries, it hurts just reading about the capability.
Silly me, I thought “production-spec” meant “street legal”. I was really excited to hear about how they made this street legal, but alas…
I wish I could afford one. Definitely a bucket list car for me.
Did you see the Chris Harris video? They showed him their first car (about which there seems to be zero information anywhere), a tiny, road legal, electric car. When they started talking about the ‘virtuous cycle’ of being so small and light meant that it only needed a small battery, which made it easier to keep everything else small and light, etc I immediately thought of you 😉
Here in the video
I did not see that video. Thank you for sharing it. Even more important than mass is the car’s CdA value. Drag coefficient multiplied by frontal area.
I agree with the guy Dave referenced who said it was too big! Here’s why. Taking this idea of a small, efficient, 1-seater car to an extreme, I built a 1-person “bicycle” with an electric motor, and since it was functionally an aerodynamic 3-wheeled microcar with pedaling able to significantly extend range(or power it independently on a dead battery), I was able to get 150-200 miles range on a 1.8 kWh battery @ 30-35 mph cruising speeds. There was a lot of room for improvement regarding drag coefficient on that, too, as it had outboard wheels and wasn’t even optimized with CAD or a wind tunnel. It got the equivalent of about 4,000 miles per gallon.
For a one-person vehicle, 4-digit MPGe is possible. The car in the video probably doesn’t go to that extreme, but I’m almost certain it is still more efficient than any electric car you can buy right now.
What a does a “competent friend” mean? Competent at what? Crosswords?
In my case, competent at money management so I could afford to blow 1.3 million on a toy.
Body identification after you wreck?
Wrong answers only is more fun… but someone else probably has to tighten the driver restraints and shut the cockpit.
I cannot afford cars I cannot pronounce.
Also it will look very batmobile in black.
“it will look very batmobile in black.”
With 4,400lbs of fan driven down force, you could race it up the side of a skyscraper! Attach a pyrotechnic deployable paragliding wing to the roof. (for safety)
Bo-ring. I’ve been able to do that in GTA for years.
Given the price of GTA6, and modern consoles right now, it might be cheaper to buy the real thing.
I haven’t purchased a console since the Xbox 360, so I’m probably overdue for an upgrade anyway.
THAT’S what it reminds me of! Thank you for sparing me from wracking my brains all day.
Cool piece of technology that is approaching “cheating at video games” levels of performance. Fascinating engineering but somehow…so perfect it’s boring? I’m not sure I understand, myself.
Agreed. Zero interest, basically just skimmed through and came for the comments. Another unobtanium toy.
Yes, I once and for a long time paid attention to super cars and one offs (30 years of autoweek subscriptions) believing the propaganda that the tech will trickle down. That may have once been true. Now they are just self-mastebatory toys of the super rich.
?? One can currently buy a stock Toyota Camry TRD which matches the skid pad results of a Ferrari 355, or a GR Toyota Corolla which bests an F40 0-60mph…
Countdown to it being lifted a few millimeters, fitted with signals, and claimed “roadworthy” in the UK.