For aficionados of automotive engineering, the McMurtry Speirling is a well-known entity. This million-dollar, thousand-horsepower electric fan vehicle that garnered comparisons to a scene from Wii Sports at the Goodwood Festival of Speed may not have been making recent headlines, but it has remained active. Recently, it took to the Silverstone Circuit, sharing the tarmac with some GT cars—and proceeded to dominate them entirely.
A video posted by McMurtry Automotive showcased the Speirling in action at Silverstone during what seems to be a test session for GT3 cars. Among the lineup was a winged Lamborghini Huracan, for which a GT4 version does not exist. Piloted by ex-Formula 1 driver Max Chilton, the Speirling was reportedly running at only 80 percent of its maximum power and downforce potential. Despite this limitation, the onboard footage clearly demonstrates its superiority over virtually every other vehicle on the track.
Chilton recorded a lap time of 1:40.92, which requires some perspective. It falls short of the performance of an F1 car, given that the pole position time at the 2023 British Grand Prix was 1:26.72, setting a 107-percent qualifying time of 1:35.141. Nevertheless, this time would have positioned it favorably among the previous LMP1 cars of the WEC, landing between the sixth and seventh-fastest laps in qualifying for the 2018 Britcar 6-Hour.
The Speirling achieved this feat amidst traffic conditions. One can only imagine how much quicker it could have been without the hindrance of the second vehicle, which likely cost it a few seconds, and the other cars disrupting its racing line. While Chilton may have had room to optimize some of the turns further, the overall lap time was still impressive. It’s safe to assume that given the track conditions and the limited performance of the Speirling, its true capabilities have not yet been fully realized. Perhaps it could surpass that 107-percent time after all—in an alternate reality where the snobbish F1 fraternity would allow it anywhere near a Grand Prix event.
McMurtry Automotive
Got a lead or a query for the author? Contact them at: james@thedrive.com
To provide the best experiences, we use technologies like cookies to store and/or access device information. Consenting to these technologies will allow us to process data such as browsing behavior or unique IDs on this site. Not consenting or withdrawing consent, may adversely affect certain features and functions.
Functional
Always active
The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
Preferences
The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
Statistics
The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes.The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
Marketing
The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.
