McMurtry Automotive is officially celebrating its tenth anniversary, and the high-performance world is far better for it. What began in 2016 as a tiny team of ambitious engineers in rural Gloucestershire, England, has transformed into the manufacturer of arguably the most violent and capable track car ever conceived. Over the last decade, the boutique brand expanded to nearly 100 employees and recently opened a state-of-the-art production facility in the Cotswolds, proving that a small, independent automaker can still disrupt the global hypercar establishment.
The company’s original goal was simple but seemingly impossible: build the ultimate lightweight driver’s vehicle. When their initial superbike-on-four-wheels concept didn’t commercially pan out, the late engineering pioneer and co-founder Sir David McMurtry offered a delightfully blunt solution to solve their traction limitations: “just suck it to the ground.” Inspired by banned 1970s racing technology, the team pivoted to fan-based downforce, creating a platform that would fundamentally change the performance landscape.
The Fan-Powered Phenomenon
By engineering a proprietary “Downforce on Demand” system, McMurtry created a vehicle that literally vacuums itself to the tarmac. Twin electric fans pull air from underneath the chassis, generating a staggering 4,400 pounds of downforce while the vehicle sits at a complete standstill. This allows the almost production-ready electric drivetrain to deploy its 1,000 horsepower instantly, launching the ultra-lightweight carbon fiber chassis from zero to 60 mph in a brain-scrambling 1.55 seconds.
While Tesla promises their upcoming Roadster will use cold-gas thrusters to literally blow the competition away, McMurtry took the exact opposite approach; they built a hypercar that simply sucks. The on-track results of this extreme vacuum engineering have been nothing short of historic. The Spéirling shattered the outright hillclimb record at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in 2022, then smashed the long-standing Top Gear Test Track record. It generates so much instantaneous cornering grip that it even leaves veteran racing drivers speechless, with extreme sports legend Travis Pastrana claiming it is the fastest they’ve driven.
McMurtry
McMurtry
McMurtry
Ready for the Track
After a decade of relentless prototyping and high-speed testing, the pure fan car is finally transitioning from a wild concept into a tangible reality for well-heeled enthusiasts. Production of the Spéirling PURE is officially underway at the brand’s new UK facility, with the very first customer deliveries slated to begin later this year. Production is strictly capped at just 100 units worldwide, ensuring the vehicle remains an incredibly rare sight at local track days.
From an editorial perspective, McMurtry’s ten-year journey is a massive victory for independent automotive engineering. In an era where legacy manufacturers are constantly adding weight and complexity to their vehicles, McMurtry took a massive financial risk to build a pure, single-seat track weapon. Access to this unparalleled, Formula 1-level performance obviously comes at an astronomical cost, carrying a massive $1.3 million sticker before personalization. However, for the lucky few who can afford it, they are buying a literal piece of physics-defying history.
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About the author
Roy Robles
News Editor