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.
He’s done it again! @maxchilton has just broken the Timed Shootout and his outright record in the McMurtry Spéirling. The VW ID.R has been beaten with a ridiculous time of 39.081 seconds. The Future of Motorsport Power presented by @dhlexpressuk #gw_DHL #FOS #Hillclimb #record pic.twitter.com/5Lr2ODJzrt
— Goodwood FOS (@fosgoodwood) June 26, 2022
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.
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It's incredible to watch. All those who state electric cars are dull - just take a look!
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?
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.