A fully electric “fan car” has broken the record and beaten every car ever to take the Hillclimb
Track at Goodwood Festival of Speed, the annual celebration of all things automotive.
Goodwood Festival is the ultimate annual celebration of motorsport and car culture, and this
year Founder of the Festival of Speed, the Duke of Richmond said: “This year’s Festival theme
– ‘The Innovators – Masterminds of Motorsport’ – allows us to celebrate some of the greatest
achievements in history, while also highlighting the event’s evolving focus on future
technology.”
UK-based McMurtry Automotive made motorsport history by setting the all-time new record
of 39.08 seconds on the 1.86km (1.16 mile) course, with their Spéirling fan car which was
driven by ex-Formula One driver, Max Chilton.
The Spéirling broke both previous records; the official record of 41.6 seconds set in 1999 by
Nick Heidfield in the McLaren MP4/13 F1, and the unofficial outright record of 39.3 seconds
set in 2019 by Romaine Dumas in the all-electric Volkswagen ID.R. Electric motors have been
dominating the track, but would competition be tighter if F1 cars were not banned after the
first record was set? Most likely
This doesn’t mean the performance of electric is not highly impressive in comparison. This
tiny EV is only 3.5 meters long, 1.7 meters wide and 1.1 meters tall, and is capable of whizzing
from 0 to 60 miles per hour in less than 1.5 seconds, reaching a top speed of 150mph (capped
due to hillclimb gearbox selection).
A lot of time was dedicated to the car’s unique fan-powered downforce system, which enables
it to generate more than double it’s own weight in downforce – and unlike other aerodynamic
vehicles, it’s downforce is available at all speeds as it does not rely on airflow over the car.
This means that the Spéirling is capable of generating more instant downforce at 0mph than
what a Formula One car is even capable of at 150mph, and with significantly less drag.
Chilton described his record breaking experience as ‘the most memorable of his racing career’,
and Managing Director of McMurtry Automotives Thomas Yates stated that ‘this weekend has
built a solid foundation for the future of this car and the company’ with hopes that ‘this goes
to someway show the world why small cars are the future’.
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