McMurtry Automotive has achieved what Formula One engineers and theorists have speculated about for decades: a car driving upside down under its own downforce.
The McMurtry Speirling, an all-electric, fan-assisted hypercar, has become the first vehicle to perform a controlled inverted drive using nothing but active aerodynamic force.
The demonstration marks a breakthrough in motorsport and road car engineering, showcasing fan-based downforce technology first popularised by the 1970s Chaparral 2J, but now taken to its logical extreme.
Unlike conventional aerodynamic systems that rely on speed, the Speirling’s fan setup produces full downforce at 0 km/h.
How the stunt worked
The setup involved a purpose-built rig featuring a rotating platform.
The car drove up a ramp and engaged its 'downforce on demand' system. As the platform slowly rotated 180 degrees, the vehicle remained fixed in place, inverted.
Once upside down, McMurtry Co-founder and Managing Director Thomas Yates drove the car forward without mechanical supports.
“The 2000 kg of downforce that the fan system can generate is truly astonishing to experience,” said Yates. “Strapping in and driving inverted was a completely surreal experience.”
The car then completed the full rotation and exited the rig unscathed. While short in distance, the stunt confirms decades of theoretical claims that a properly engineered vehicle can, under the right conditions, drive upside down using aerodynamic grip alone.
Engineering implications
Beyond the spectacle, the achievement underscores practical benefits.
Unlike traditional aero systems that build grip with speed, McMurtry’s fan system delivers peak downforce from a standstill. That could significantly improve safety during low-speed manoeuvres, emergency braking, or technical driving situations.
“The amount of grip and downforce available means that application of the brakes will often see them stop almost immediately, often while still on the tarmac,” McMurtry noted. This could allow high-performance vehicles to remain controllable and safe in unpredictable scenarios.
More than a record
With 745kW and weighing just 1000 kg, the Speirling has already claimed a slew of records, including Top Gear’s long-standing track leaderboard.
But this latest feat hints at broader ambitions. “This is perhaps just the beginning of what’s possible,” said Yates, suggesting longer inverted runs - or even tunnel-based applications - could follow.
The McMurtry Speirling’s upside-down drive is a live demonstration of how active aerodynamics could shape the future of performance and safety engineering.
