British electric hypercar manufacturer McMurtry Automotive attracted public attention during the Goodwood Festival of Speed (July 10–13), where it exhibited the Spéirling model, a car that has managed to drive upside down, defying gravity.
The single-seater is the fastest car to have ever lapped the famous Goodwood circuit and Top Gear test track, beating a 2004 Renault R24 Formula 1 car by 3.1 seconds, A2 CNN reports. “It sounds like a plane when it goes by, which is unique for an electric car,” said David Turton of McMurtry. “People didn’t realize it was electric. They were like, ‘Oh my God, what was that? It was something extraordinary.’”
The secret lies in the “Downforce-on-Demand” system, which, through two fans rotating at 23,000 rpm, generates 2000 kg of vertical force, twice the weight of the car (about 1 ton). This allows it to accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h in less than 1.5 seconds and handle corners with forces over 3G, which makes it closer to a fighter jet than a racing car.
Unlike traditional aerodynamics, Spéirling creates lift from the ground, without the need for pre-acceleration. In April 2025, at McMurtry’s headquarters in Gloucestershire, co-founder Thomas Yates mounted the car on a specially built platform that rotated 180 degrees, turning it upside down. Thanks to the fan system, the car remained attached to the surface, and Yates steered it upside down, without breaking away from the “ceiling”.
At Goodwood, the car was set up in a demonstration facility, similar to the one at the performance inverted in April, but with additional safety measures for the public.
According to Turton, this technology is not limited to racing. “The vertical force works in every direction. I’ve driven the car and even when I lost control, I just had to hit the brakes and the climb didn’t go away. It helps you stop before you go off the track. It has tremendous potential for driver safety and reducing braking distances, both on the track and on the road,” he said.
Several major car manufacturers have expressed interest in their fan technology. (A2 Televizion)
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