• The pint-sized EV lapped the Castle Combe Circuit in just 54.559 seconds.
  • McMurtry is only testing the new Speirling Pure with 80% power.
  • Thanks to its huge levels of downforce, the car can pull 3Gs while cornering.

A prototype of the upcoming, production-spec McMurtry Speirling Pure has set a new lap record around the Castle Combe Circuit in the UK, easily eclipsing times from Formula 3 and GT3 race cars.

With former F1 driver Max Chilton behind the wheel, the Speirling Pure lapped the circuit in just 54.559 seconds. Without context, that time doesn’t mean much, so here’s some. Prior to the McMurtry’s lap, the outright race lap record was set by a Formula 3 car in 2021, and was 4.037 seconds slower. The fastest lap recorded by a GT3 car – a Lamborghini Huracan, no less – is 9.796 seconds slower than the Speirling’s new benchmark.

Watch: McMurtry Sperling Crushes Hockenheim Record, Beats Mercedes-AMG One By 14.1 Seconds

Making the lap time of the prototype all the more impressive is the fact that power from the electric motors was capped at 80%. The small British company is promising to make further lap record attempts throughout 2024 and 2025 as it turns up power to 100% and also lifts downforce levels to 100%.

“This is a fun milestone to achieve,” McMurtry managing director Thomas Yates said. “It’s not everyday you get to see a car and driver go so much faster than what’s gone before. Having tested at Castle Combe for years, it was about time we showed what the car can do around our local circuit”. 

McMurtry Speirling Pure Demolishes Castle Combe Track Record With Power Capped At 80%
McMurtry Speirling Pure Demolishes Castle Combe Track Record With Power Capped At 80%
McMurtry Speirling Pure Demolishes Castle Combe Track Record With Power Capped At 80%
McMurtry Speirling Pure Demolishes Castle Combe Track Record With Power Capped At 80%
McMurtry Speirling Pure Demolishes Castle Combe Track Record With Power Capped At 80%
McMurtry Speirling Pure Demolishes Castle Combe Track Record With Power Capped At 80%
McMurtry Speirling Pure Demolishes Castle Combe Track Record With Power Capped At 80%
McMurtry Speirling Pure Demolishes Castle Combe Track Record With Power Capped At 80%
McMurtry Speirling Pure Demolishes Castle Combe Track Record With Power Capped At 80%
McMurtry Speirling Pure Demolishes Castle Combe Track Record With Power Capped At 80%

McMurtry unveiled the Speirling Pure in mid-2023 as a production version of the insane one-off prototype it used to demolish the record at the Goodwood Festival of Speed hillclimb. The pint-sized hypercar is just 3,450 mm (135.8 inches) long and 1,580 mm wide (62.2 inches), tipping the scales at a mere 1,000 kg (2,200 lbs). Its electric powertrain is also good for 999 hp, and it can pull more than 3G while cornering.