- Chris Harris' latest video shows just how mind-bending the McMurtry Spierling is to drive.
- The former Top Gear presenter put the tiny hypercar through its paces at several UK tracks.
- The Speirling uses an active fan system similar to that of the legendary Brabham BT46B "fan car".
Former Top Gear presenter and automotive journalist Chris Harris has released his latest video that documents a year-long journey embedded with McMurtry Automotive, following the development and staggering performance of the Speirling, an electric hypercar he describes as a "physics bender".
Harris visited the company’s headquarters in Wooton-under-Edge, near Bristol, to put the record-breaking prototype through its paces at UK circuits including Dunsfold, Thruxton, and Brands Hatch.
And to say the Speirling left an impression on him would be an understatement. And, a quick warning - he does say some rather rude words when he dials the power up to full for the first time...
The Speirling is a tiny, electric single-seater that boasts a thoroughly ridiculous set of performance figures: 1000 horsepower (746kW), a 1000 kg weight, and a truly staggering 2000 kg of downforce. The most innovative feature is its fan system - twin fans spinning at 23,000 RPM that literally suck the car to the road. While a modern Formula 1 car requires speeds of approximately 240km/h to generate significant aerodynamic load, the Speirling can generate its full 2000 kg of downforce while standing still.
Harris’s initial experience at the Dunsfold track leaves him visually stunned. After engaging the car's maximum power setting, he describes the sensation as "just violence" and "absolutely mind-scrambling", while he likened the car's unique sound signature, a combination of straight-cut gears and the roar of the fans, to a the "Millennium Falcon disappearing into hyperspace".
McMurtry Automotive managing director Thomas Yates and technical director Kevin Ukoko-Rongioni reveal to Harris that early downforce testing was conducted using a converted ambulance because its five-ton load rating could withstand the two tons of suction generated by the prototype fan system.
As the company transitions from prototypes to production, Yates confirmed that 95 percent of the car has been redesigned to improve the user experience and reliability. While the prototype has already shattered records at the Goodwood Festival of Speed and the Top Gear Test Track, the final production version is expected to offer even more performance.
Customer deliveries for the production-spec Speirling are slated to begin in 2026. Harris, having shed "extra pies" to better fit the compact cockpit, plans to continue following the project as it moves toward its commercial launch.
