Your eyes aren’t playing tricks, the McMurtry Speirling, an electric hypercar, made headlines by driving upside down at its Gloucestershire headquarters. This trick worked because of its special fan system that pushes air down, making over 4,400 pounds of suction—more than twice what the car weighs—so it can cling to surfaces even when it’s not moving.
Using a custom rotating rig, test driver Thomas Yates drove the Speirling PURE prototype a short distance while fully inverted, showcasing the car’s ability to defy gravity without needing high speeds. The stunt also coincided with the Spéirling breaking the Top Gear Test Track record by 3.1 seconds, outpacing a 2004 Renault F1 car.
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Even though it’s small, the Speirling is crazy fast. This electric hypercar weighs less than 2,200 lbs and can zoom to 60 mph in around 1.4 seconds. It’s got two electric motors that pump out over 1,000 horsepower, and a special 60 kWh battery—shaped like an “H” to balance the weight—uses high-density cells for rapid power delivery.
Its standout feature is a fan system inspired by banned 1970s race cars like the Brabham BT46B. Two rear-mounted fans generate over 4,400 pounds of downforce by sucking air from beneath the car, allowing it to stick to the ground (or even a ceiling, as shown in the upside-down stunt). This works even at low speeds, unlike traditional aerodynamics.
That was just a fantastic day in the office! Strapping in and driving inverted was a completely surreal experience. The 2000kg of downforce that the fan system can generate is truly astonishing to experience and it’s great to show the reason why our Spéirling continues to take records around the world. This demonstration was an exciting proof of concept using a small purpose-built rig, but is perhaps just the beginning of what’s possible. With a longer inverted track or a suitable tunnel, we may be able to drive even further!,” said Thomas Yates, Co-founder & Managing Director of McMurtry Automotive.
