Currently reading: McMurtry Speirling sets new Goodwood hillclimb record

Tiny electric rocket ship gets to the Goodwood finish line in just 39.08 seconds - breaking VW's record

British motorsport outfit McMurtry Automotive has smashed the record Goodwood Hillclimb time with its outlandish ground-effect Spéirling EV. 

The tiny single-seater – which uses an innovative underbody fan to maximise downforce – was 0.8 seconds quicker up the hill than the previous record holder, Volkswagen's ID R EV racer, stopping the clock at a blistering 39.08 seconds. 

Read more: McMurtry Speirling Pure goes on sale with 1000bhp for £984,000

Ex-Marussia F1 driver Max Chilton was at the wheel for the record run (which you can watch below), during the official Sunday afternoon timed shoot-out. He had earlier gone up the hill in 39.14 seconds, so had already beaten the ID R. 

 

 

McMurtry announced it was going for the record time last week with the super-lightweight machine, which measures just 3200mm long and – crucially – 1500mm wide, which gives it an edge on the tight Goodwood course over more potent but wider rivals. 

Ultimately, the Spéirling was roughly six seconds quicker up the hill than the 1973bhp Ford Supervan 4, 1072bhp Porsche GT4 E-Performance and even a 1993 Jaguar XJR-12D Le Mans prototype.

McMurtry has yet to provide full technical details of the Spéirling, but says it packs 1000bhp and weighs less than 1000kg, giving a power-to-weight ratio 40% better than that of even the Bugatti Chiron. As a result, it is claimed to rocket from 0-186mph in just 9.0 seconds. 

Felix Page

Felix Page
Title: Deputy editor

Felix is Autocar's deputy editor, responsible for leading the brand's agenda-shaping coverage across all facets of the global automotive industry - both in print and online.

He has interviewed the most powerful and widely respected people in motoring, covered the reveals and launches of today's most important cars, and broken some of the biggest automotive stories of the last few years. 

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Deputy 27 June 2022

It's incredible to watch.  All those who state electric cars are dull - just take a look!

Peter Cavellini 26 June 2022

Imagine if Brabham with their BT 54 Fan Car had been allowed and the rest of the field followed suit, where would F1 be now?

The Apprentice 26 June 2022

It was astonishing to watch, 0-60 in way less than 2 seconds! Also announced the road legal version has been approved so you can buy one. The website claims a 300+ mile battery range too, and yet its so light. Something very clever going on with battery technology in this thing.