McMurtry Automotive reveals composites-intensive, fully electric Spéirling demonstrator vehicle

The McMurtry Spéirling, a composite-intensive electric vehicle, making a run at the Goodwood Festival of Speed. Bruce Wayne is not behind the wheel. Photo Credit: McMurty Automotive

Although this vehicle might seem as though it is the next Batmobile, it is actually a legitimate, fully electric track car that was designed, engineered and built by McMurtry Automotive (Wotton-under-Edge, Gloucestershire, U.K.). And the McMurtry Spéirling, while still a demonstrator vehicle, actually performs: its introduction was at the recent Goodwood Festival of Speed.

While the company is keeping details about the Spéirling close to its vest (e.g., CW was told by a spokesperson “We’re not revealing what’s under the skin just yet”), here’s what we know so far:

• Speaking of the skin, as you might well imagine, this is a full carbon fiber monocoque with carbon fiber crash structures and bodywork.
• The vehicle is compact, at 126 inches long, 59 inches wide, 41 inches high and with a 78.7-inch wheelbase.
• Mass is under one tonne.
• The battery capacity is 60 kilowatt-hours and the voltage is >800 volts.
• A fan system at the back of the vehicle using a >80-horsepower fan system generates 500 kilograms of downforce… while the car is standing still.
• The road range is, on the WLTP (Worldwide Harmonized Light Vehicles Test Procedure) protocol, 350 miles.
• The track driving range is from 30 to 60 minutes.
• It has a top speed of >200 miles per hour.
• The 0 to 300 kilometers per hour (186 miles per hour) time is <9 seconds.

The one-seat vehicle is also powered by an e-axle developed by McMurtry Automotive. And while the output of the motor has not been revealed, according to the company there is a power to weight ratio of 1 horsepower: 1 kilogram. So, if the car weighs approximately one tonne, that’s ~1,000 kilograms — that’s a lot of horsepower to move this vehicle.

One more thing: Sir David McMurtry, the man who founded the company and who is hands-on involved in the vehicle development, is the man who founded the world-renowned metrology company Renishaw (Wotton-under-Edge, U.K.). He holds more than 200 patents.