McMurtry Spéirling Drives Upside Down in a World-First for British Hypercars
In a groundbreaking world first, McMurtry Automotive drove its record-breaking Spéirling hypercar upside down at the company’s Gloucestershire headquarters. Thomas Yates, Co-founder and Managing Director of McMurtry Automotive harnessed the British hypercar’s proprietary Downforce-on-Demand™ system to ‘suck’ the vehicle to the floor of a specially designed rotating rig, demonstrating how the Spéirling can achieve remarkable grip at any speed—even when inverted. Employees and independent adjudicators observed this historic feat.
This demonstration adds another record to tpéirling’s growing list of accolades. McMurtry Automotive also revealed that the Spéirling recently eclipsed the Top Gear Test Track record by an impressive 3.1 seconds, surpassing the 2004 Renault R24 V10 Formula 1 race car. Additionally, the Spéirling still holds the outright records for the Goodwood Festival of Speed Hillclimb and the Laguna Seca Corkscrew Hillclimb.
A truly British-built, single-seat electric hypercar, the McMurtry Spéirling stands in a league of its own. It was envisioned by the late Sir David McMurtry, a highly successful British businessman, inventor, and billionaire. McMurtry Automotive continues its legacy with a small yet highly skilled team of engineers focused on innovative design and performance.
Thomas Yates described the experience as “completely surreal,” noting the incredible 2,000kg of downforce generated by the fan system. He believes this could be just the beginning, suggesting that a longer upside-down track or suitable tunnel might allow for extended inverted driving. Yates also paid tribute to the McMurtry Automotive team, applauding the engineers responsible for designing the Spéirling and its fan system.
Motorsport experts have long theorised that race cars, particularly in Formula 1, could drive upside down due to the immense downforce generated at high speed. However, no one has attempted it until now. The Spéirling’s patented Downforce-on-Demand™ system offers enhanced grip during acceleration, braking, and cornering—even at low speeds—unlike other hypercars and race cars, which only produce downforce at higher velocities.
During the record-breaking attempt, Yates drove the Spéirling up a ramp onto a specially built platform. The platform then rotated, completely inverting the hypercar. The Downforce-on-Demand™ system created enough vacuum under the Spéirling’s floor to hold it securely upside down, allowing Yates to drive forward unsupported.
This proprietary fan-powered system is also responsible for the Spéirling’s astonishing acceleration—0-60mph in just 1.5 seconds—and its ability to complete a quarter mile in 8 seconds, cornering at forces greater than 3g.
For the demonstration, the Spéirling was presented in gloss black falcon camouflage on a matt black base coat, paying homage to the original McMurtry fan car unveiled at the 2021 Goodwood Festival of Speed. The falcons are modelled on the company’s peregrine falcon logo, reflecting the fastest creature on Earth, and additional graphics are optimised for viewing when the car is upside down.
The model used in this latest milestone is the McMurtry Spéirling PURE Validation Prototype 1 (VP1). It builds on the hypercar that set the Goodwood record, representing the next phase towards a final production version, limited to just 100 units. The first Spéirling PURE customer deliveries will commence in 2026, featuring a larger 100kWh battery pack for extended track sessions of around 20 minutes at GT3 pace and multiple hot laps at record-breaking speeds. The lithium-ion battery cells chosen for the production model are P50B Molicel 21700s, delivering outstanding power and energy density.
Although the inverted drive appears risky, the Spéirling complies with the stringent motorsport safety standards of LMP1 racing cars, renowned for competing at the iconic Le Mans 24 Hours. In track days and competitive racing, its unique fan-generated downforce enhances safety by providing grip independent of speed or direction. Tests have shown that in spins or other loss-of-control situations, the Spéirling’s robust downforce and braking allow it to stop promptly, often remaining on the tarmac.
By turning the motoring world on its head, McMurtry Automotive has proven that the Spéirling is not just another hypercar—a revolutionary feat of British engineering poised to redefine performance, safety, and the future of electric motorsport.
