The McMurtry Spéirling is a fresh take on how one should go about making an all-electric hypercar. It’s much smaller and lighter than cars like the Rimac Nevera. And that weight savings has just translated to a 7.9-second quarter mile time.
We’ve known for a long while that the McMurtry was fast. It has proven that it can rocket from 0-60 mph (96 km/h) in 1.5 seconds many times in the past. And it’s the current world-record holder at the Goodwood Festival of Speed Hillclimb with a total time of just 39.08 seconds.
It does that thanks to an incredible power-to-weight ratio and outstanding engineering. It develops some 1,000 hp (746 kW) while only weighing 2,200 lbs (1,000 kg). It also utilizes a pair of fans to suck itself to the ground (ala Chaparral 2J) with a maximum force of 4,409 lbs (2,000 kg).
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The folks over at Carwow get a full tour of the specs, the design, the fan system, the interior, and some special features. Then, it’s time to go fast in a straight line as few other cars can. During its first run, it manages a 0-60 mph (96 km/h) time of 2.27 seconds despite the track being damp. It only gets faster from there.
During the next run, it goes from 0-60 in 2.09 seconds and finishes the quarter mile in 8.64 seconds. That’s .02 off of the time of the Rimac Nevera. The team was too close to stop there so they go to Silverstone where a special truck dries the track off before their testing.
On those hallowed proving grounds, the Spéirling pulls off a 0-60 run of 1.4 seconds and a quarter mile time of 8.35 seconds. That’s a record all on its own but Mat Watson of Carwow says that he pulled out of it prematurely. On the group’s final run they manage the same 0-60 but set a new record for a road car of 7.97 seconds.
Here’s what might be most impressive about all of these figures. McMurtry had a 150-mph (241 km/h) top speed limiter on the Spéirling for these runs and it pegged it every time. We wonder how much quicker it will be if they ever let it go without that restraint.