The McMurtry Spéirling & How It Went At Goodwood 2023

A nondescript, abandoned hangar away from the buzz of a racetrack could be the birthplace of a revolution in British supercars, motorsport and track days.

The McMurtry Spéirling

The McMurtry Spéirling, the upstart set to disrupt the field, is surprisingly smaller than you might expect. This single-seater vehicle could easily be overshadowed by a Caterham. However, despite its small size, the vehicle is designed to easily seat a driver of over 1.8 metres in height. The driver sits in a reclined position, similar to a racing car, surrounded by a carbon seat beneath a gullwing door and bubble canopy.

The McMurtry Speirling was super quick once again at the hands of @maxchilton! #FOS pic.twitter.com/mteoJu5qzr
— Goodwood Road & Racing (@GoodwoodRRC) July 17, 2023

The goal is to create a unique competition series for these sleek vehicles. With its lightweight all-carbon construction, the Spéirling (Irish for 'thunderstorm') weighs just under 1,000kg, yet it packs a horsepower for each kilogram, thanks to a motor for each rear wheel.

The vehicle can hit speeds of over 320 km/h, and its acceleration from 0 to 300 km/h is claimed by McMurtry to take just 9.0 seconds, making it faster than the Rimac Nevera and the Bugatti Chiron Super Sport.

Size & Performance

McMurtry's philosophy is that a smaller vehicle equates to a lighter vehicle, and a smaller frontal area results in reduced drag. This streamlined design is beneficial for speed and range, with low mass further enhancing these parameters.

Battery and Range

The U-shaped battery, structurally integrated within the tub, has a capacity of 60kWh, allowing for 30 to 60 minutes of flat-out driving depending on the weather and circuit conditions. If the vehicle were subjected to WLTP testing for road cars, it would likely achieve a range of over 480 km.

McMurtry's Ingenious Design

You'll notice the absence of a rear wing on the McMurtry. Instead, this vehicle uses twin electric turbines located behind the cockpit, drawing air from beneath the chassis and propelling it out of a rear 'exhaust' to create fan-assisted downforce. This design enables the vehicle to generate significant downforce, even from a standstill.

The company behind the Spéirling is led by Irishman Sir David McMurtry, known for his work on the supersonic Rolls-Royce Olympus engines used in the Concorde.

Image source: Motor1

A Look Into The Future

The McMurtry team anticipates test drives to commence in 2022, followed by the launch of a racing series. They also harbour ambitions for a highly compact, range-efficient road car in the future. If recent 2,000bhp e-supercars seem too flashy, the Spéirling could be the electric vehicle industry's Caterham or Elise moment. A clean supercar in more ways than one, it even manages to efficiently clear dust from an old hangar when its fans create a localised hurricane.

The Reigning King of Goodwood: McMurtry Speirling Returns

Last year, the McMurtry Speirling claimed the title as the king of Goodwood with an impressive 39.08-second run on the 1.86 kilometre driveway course, outperforming the previous record held by the Volkswagen ID.R race car by nearly a full second.

The Speirling has now returned to the Festival of Speed for 2023. The identical prototype that set the record last year took on the hill climb once again on the festival's second day – and it maintained its lightning-fast pace, even in the rain.

Image source: Motor1

Unfazed by Weather

The wet track was no hindrance for this formidable 1,000-plus bhp vehicle. It charged down the front straight into the first corner with an awe-inspiring speed. Measuring only 3.2 metres long and weighing less than 1,000 kilograms, the Speirling handles corners like a go-kart, with a spray of rain trailing behind it.

As the 2023 Goodwood Festival of Speed is only on its second day, McMurtry isn't aiming to shatter any records yet, so there's potential for even more speed. The actual timed runs are scheduled for the weekend. It's anyone's guess whether McMurtry may outdo its own record this year.