Buy the winning car from Goodwood: little space, big money required

Every year, at the Goodwood Festival of Speed, the most exceptional cars of all time make their appearance. However, during the last edition, a car stole the show and established itself as the undisputed star of the event: the McMurtry Spéirling.

Initially, this car attracted attention with its extremely rare design and tiny dimensions. It then surprised everyone with its speed, when former Formula 1 driver Max Chilton set a new record at Goodwood by climbing the hill in just 39.14 seconds, beating the Volkswagen ID R by 0.8 seconds. Now the creators of this car have announced their intention to produce a version for the general public.

The power-to-weight ratio of the McMurtry is less than 1 kg per hp

Max Chilton flew the McMurtry Spéirling at Goodwood

The Dacia Spring is one of the smallest cars available on the market, but it also ranks among the slowest. It only reaches a speed of 125 km/h and its dimensions are modest, measuring only 3.74 meters in length and 1.58 meters in width. However, speed is not a question of size, and the McMurtry Spéirling is the proof par excellence.

This stunning British model boasts the same width as the Dacia Spring, but is even shorter, with a length of just 3.45 metres. Yet it is considered one of the fastest cars in the world, as demonstrated by Max Chilton in 2022 when he set the speed record at Goodwood.

At that time, the McMurtry company had made clear their intention to produce it, and a year later their promise was fulfilled with the launch of the production version of the Spéirling.

The McMurtry Spéirling PURE is a car that shares many similarities with the one driven by Max Chilton at Goodwood. The pre-production prototypes will be finalized next year, and the first units will be delivered in 2025. Only 100 examples of this car will be manufactured, and its starting price will be 820,000 pounds excluding tax, equivalent to approximately 955,000 euros at the current exchange rate, excluding taxes.

Owners of this car will in return get a compact hypercar, which McMurtry's stated goal is to "rekindle the passion for lightweight, compact cars" while delivering "outstanding performance accessible to circuit driving enthusiasts."

The McMurtry Spéirling PURE is designed for the track, like the Radical, some Caterhams or the Ariel Atom. It will not normally be homologated for road driving, but it will be able to participate in certain FIA races in Europe, Asia and America (GT1 Sports Club). The car's creators claim that the production version will be even faster than the prototype driven by Chilton last year.

It will be lighter than 1,000 kg, will exceed 300 km/h and will reach 0 to 100 km/h in just over 2 seconds. Its compact features and reduced weight will be key to delivering these benefits, as will its extreme aerodynamic design and powerful 1,015 HP electric motor.

However, the McMurtry Spéirling PURE reveals a secret: it is fitted with a fan system that keeps it glued to the ground, similar to those used by the 1970 Chaparral 2J and the 1978 Brabham BT46B, designed by Gordon Murray. Note also that the current GMA T50 is also equipped with a fan.

The 60 kWh battery developed by Milicel is responsible for the power supply. At the time, McMurtry expressed his goal for the future production Spéirling, which was to provide a range of 300 miles, or about 483 km. However, during the presentation of the Spéirling PURE, the brand did not provide specific figures on this subject, except for the mention that it is able to complete 10 laps of Silverstone at a record pace. The only information we have is that it will be able to recharge in less than 20 minutes.

As for the interior of the car, it remains to be seen how it will be designed. McMurtry said there will be adjustable pedals and steering wheel to accommodate riders up to 2.0 meters tall and weighing up to 150 kg.