McMurtry Automotive is celebrating its 10th anniversary as the British automaker prepares to deliver its record-breaking electric fan car, the Spéirling PURE, to customers. Founded in 2016 by a small team of engineers in rural Gloucestershire, the company has grown to nearly 100 employees and opened a new production facility in the Cotswolds.
The milestone marks a decade of engineering focused on one ambitious goal: creating the ultimate lightweight driver’s vehicle. The company’s approach has produced an unconventional hypercar capable of generating enormous downforce while stationary, delivering extraordinary acceleration and setting major performance records.
How McMurtry’s Fan-Powered Hypercar Works
McMurtry’s original concept was a superbike-inspired vehicle with four wheels, but the idea failed to overcome its commercial and traction challenges. The late engineering pioneer and co-founder Sir David McMurtry proposed a different solution: “just suck it to the ground.”
Inspired by banned racing technology from the 1970s, the team developed a proprietary “Downforce on Demand” system that uses twin electric fans to pull air from beneath the chassis.
The system generates 4,400 pounds of downforce even when the vehicle is stationary, allowing the nearly production-ready electric drivetrain to deliver its 1,000 horsepower with extraordinary traction.
With a lightweight carbon fiber chassis, the Spéirling can accelerate from zero to 60 mph in just 1.55 seconds.
McMurtry Spéirling Sets Major Performance Records
The Spéirling’s fan-powered design has delivered historic results on the track. The car broke the outright hillclimb record at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in 2022 before setting a new record at the Top Gear Test Track.
Its instantaneous cornering grip has also impressed experienced racing drivers. Extreme sports legend Travis Pastrana described it as the fastest vehicle they had driven.
While Tesla has promised that its upcoming Roadster will use cold-gas thrusters, McMurtry has pursued a different approach, using powerful fans to generate the grip needed for extreme performance.
Spéirling PURE Production Begins in the UK
After a decade of prototyping and high-speed testing, the Spéirling PURE is moving from an experimental concept to a production vehicle for customers.
Production is officially underway at McMurtry’s new UK facility, with the first customer deliveries scheduled to begin later this year.
The company will limit production to just 100 units worldwide, making the electric track car an exceptionally exclusive offering.
A $1.3 Million Electric Track Car
The Spéirling PURE carries a starting price of $1.3 million before personalization, placing it among the most expensive performance vehicles available to enthusiasts.
McMurtry’s decade-long journey reflects the ambitions of an independent automaker willing to pursue an unconventional engineering solution. Rather than building a conventional hypercar, the company developed a single-seat, lightweight track machine centered on fan-generated downforce and extreme performance.
With production now underway and customer deliveries approaching, McMurtry Automotive is bringing its record-setting fan car closer to reality for a limited group of buyers.
