British motorsport team McMurtry Automotive has broken the Goodwood Hill Climb time record with its ground-effect Spéirling EV (electric).
British motorsport team McMurtry Automotive has broken the Goodwood Hill Climb time record with its ground-effect Spéirling EV (electric).
The tiny single-seater - with covered wheels - which uses an innovative underbody fan to maximize downforce - was 0.8 seconds faster on the climb than the previous record holder, Volkswagen's ID R EV, stopping the clock in an impressive 39.08 seconds.
Former Marussia F1 driver Max Chilton was behind the wheel to break the record during last Sunday afternoon's official timed climb. He had already run up the hill in 39.14 seconds, so he had already beaten ID R.
McMurtry announced he was going for the record time last week with the super-light machine, which measures just 3,200 mm long and - crucially - 1,500 mm wide, giving it an advantage on the tight Goodwood track over more powerful but wider rivals.
Ultimately, the Spéirling was about six seconds faster on the climb than the 1973 hp Ford Supervan 4, the 1072 hp Porsche GT4 E-Performance, and even a 1993 Jaguar XJR-12D Le Mans prototype.
Officially, the history books had Nick Heidfeld as the true record holder, courtesy of his famous 1999 climb in an F1 McLaren MP4/13 that hit the line in 41.6s.
McMurtry has not yet provided full technical details of the Spéirling, but he says it has 1,000 hp and weighs less than 1,000 kg, providing a 40% better power-to-weight ratio than the Bugatti Chiron. As a result, it is claimed to shoot from 0 to 300 km/h in just 9.0 seconds.