Observe the McMurtry Speirling Fan Car as it drives in an upside-down position.
McMurtry Automotive
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There are few vehicles as remarkable as the McMurtry Spéirling. This fully electric fan car has made a name for itself by shattering records and outpacing the competition as if they weren't even there. Recently, McMurtry added another impressive achievement to the Spéirling's accolades by maneuvering it while upside down.
Unlike most high-performance cars that create downforce by channeling air rapidly over surfaces designed for negative lift, the McMurtry Spéirling uses its enormous fans to create enough vacuum underneath to produce 4,400 pounds of downforce even when stationary. We've witnessed its real-world capabilities, but for this unconventional demonstration, McMurtry had to think outside the box.
If you’re like us, your immediate thought might have been, “How?” Perhaps followed by “Where?” As you might expect, there aren't many upside-down test tracks available. This added yet another challenge for McMurtry to invent a way to showcase its car's capabilities. They designed a unique rotisserie, complete with an inverted "McMurtry Parking Only" decal, that allowed the team to drive the Spéirling (albeit slowly) while simultaneously inverting the “road” surface.
Since the Spéirling doesn't rely on fast-moving air for its functionality, McMurtry didn’t require a lengthy runway for this demonstration. Besides the large circular tracks on which the constructed road surface turns, the setup resembles a standard four-post lift with a solid metal platform. With the fans operating at full power and thumbs-up from everyone, the rig rotates, and test driver Thomas Yates moves the Spéirling forward. While it may not be a “Men in Black”-style cruise through the Lincoln Tunnel, it is still quite an impressive feat.
And yes, there is video available.
McMurtry notes that the car utilized for this demonstration was the PURE Validation Prototype 1, which is described as a development of the vehicle that set the world record at Goodwood. The updated model is now 3.1 seconds faster around the Top Gear test track, breaking its previous “record” from 2023.
The prototype featured in the inverted drive sports the same livery as the company’s original 2021 prototype, though it has been “adapted with special details for upside down running.” Look closely, and you might notice the differences. Ah, British humor. Always delightful.
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Observe the McMurtry Speirling Fan Car as it drives in an upside-down position.
This is how 4,400 pounds of downforce appears when inverted.