The McMurtry Spéirling Story: 10 Years of Bold Ideas, Amazing Speed and World Records

Some car manufacturers spend decades chasing records. McMurtry Automotive has spent just ten years making them.

Founded in 2016, the Gloucestershire-based company has grown from a small engineering team into one of Britain’s most exciting performance car manufacturers. Over the past decade, it has achieved remarkable milestones. As a result, it has created the Spéirling PURE, an electric hypercar that has rewritten the rules of speed and downforce.

To mark its tenth anniversary, McMurtry has released a new film celebrating the people, ideas and achievements behind its success. In addition, the video takes viewers on a journey through the company’s history, tracing its progress from its earliest days right through to its latest milestones.

Today, the company operates from a new production facility in the Cotswolds. It is also preparing to deliver the Spéirling PURE to customers around the world.

Meanwhile, its technology division, McMurtry Technology, is working with leading automotive and motorsport manufacturers. Its focus includes advanced battery systems and its patented Downforce on Demand technology.

The next chapter promises to be just as ambitious as the first.

From Six Engineers to a World-Class Team

McMurtry’s story began with a meeting between two engineers in 2015.

Sir David McMurtry, a successful engineering entrepreneur, approached Thomas Yates with an idea. Moreover, he wanted to build a car company capable of creating something truly different.

Yates was working at Mercedes-AMG High Performance Powertrains in Formula 1. He eventually left the team alongside his close friend Kevin Ukoko-Rongione, who became McMurtry’s Technical Director.

In 2016, the three men began developing their first vehicle. Their team consisted of just six engineers.

Their goal was simple: create an exceptionally small, lightweight driver’s car.

However, their first design, known as the D01, proved difficult to sell commercially. The team needed a new direction.

That challenge led to an idea that would change the company’s future.

The Engineering Idea That Changed Everything

Sir David McMurtry had spent decades developing technologies that solved difficult engineering problems.

His career began at Rolls-Royce in the 1970s, where he worked on the Olympus engines that powered Concorde. He became the youngest Deputy Chief Engineer on the programme.

During that time, he encountered a problem with measuring tiny fuel pipes inside the engines. No existing tool could provide the accuracy required.

His solution was the touch-trigger probe, a device that measures the position of components with extraordinary precision.

McMurtry patented the invention and later founded Renishaw alongside John Deer. The company became one of Britain’s leading engineering businesses.

Today, its measurement technology helps manufacturers produce everything from cars and aircraft to trains and rockets.

That same spirit of practical innovation shaped McMurtry Automotive.

The First Car: Small, Light and Unusual

The D01 was a bold first attempt.

Its key specifications included:

• A weight of just 660kg.
• A 400hp powertrain.
• All-wheel drive.
• A 40kWh battery.
• A bespoke carbon-fibre chassis and body.

The result was a compact electric car with the performance of a much larger machine.

However, the team soon realised that its original design would struggle to succeed commercially.

They needed something more capable, without sacrificing the small size and low weight that made the D01 special.

During a discussion in his office, Sir David offered a simple suggestion: “Ah, just suck it to the ground!”

That comment would become the foundation of McMurtry’s most famous technology.

The Power of Fan-Generated Downforce

The idea of using fans to create downforce was not entirely new.

In 1970, the Chaparral 2J Can-Am racer used two large fans to draw air from beneath the car. The resulting suction helped hold it against the track.

Formula 1 team Brabham later explored the same principle with the BT46B. The car won the 1978 Swedish Grand Prix on its first appearance, but the team withdrew it shortly afterwards.

McMurtry took this concept and developed it for a new generation of electric performance cars.

Between 2018 and 2021, its engineers worked to create a compact, fan-powered system that could deliver exceptional grip without relying on speed.

The result was the Spéirling prototype.

Its fans can generate up to 2,000kg of downforce, even when the car is stationary. That means it can produce more than twice its own weight in downward force.

In simple terms, the car can generate enormous grip before it even begins moving.

This gives the Spéirling a major advantage on tight circuits and hillclimb courses. It also allows the car to accelerate, brake and corner with extraordinary force.

The Records That Put McMurtry on the Map

McMurtry first attracted worldwide attention in 2022.

At the Goodwood Festival of Speed, the Spéirling prototype set a new Hillclimb record. In doing so, it surpassed the previous benchmark and outperformed many established manufacturers.

The achievement established McMurtry as a serious contender in the performance car world.

However, the company was only getting started.

2023-2024: Expanding the Spéirling’s Capabilities

Following its Goodwood success, McMurtry continued to develop the car.

The team carried out extensive testing and introduced a customer test-drive programme. It also demonstrated the Spéirling’s capabilities at circuits around the world.

The prototype set further records at Hockenheim, Castle Combe and Laguna Seca.

Each outing provided valuable feedback and helped prepare the car for production.

2025: Two Extraordinary Achievements

In 2025, McMurtry achieved two milestones that captured the imagination of car enthusiasts.

First, the Spéirling PURE prototype set a new lap record at the Top Gear Test Track in Dunsfold.

Driven by The Stig, the electric hypercar beat the previous record held by a 2004 Renault Formula 1 car.

The result demonstrated the advantages of McMurtry’s approach. Furthermore, its compact dimensions, low weight and fan-generated downforce made it exceptionally quick around the circuit.

Then came an even more unusual achievement.

With Thomas Yates at the wheel, the Spéirling PURE became the first car to drive upside down.

Its fans generated enough suction to hold the car against an overhead surface.

The demonstration showed just how much grip the technology could produce. It also provided a striking example of engineering that goes far beyond conventional performance car design.

McMurtry Spéirling PURE: From Prototype to Production

The Spéirling PURE represents the next stage of McMurtry’s development.

Unlike the original prototype, the PURE was designed with customers in mind. It combines the company’s fan technology with a compact electric platform and a lightweight construction.

After thousands of kilometres of testing, McMurtry is now preparing the car for production.

The company has also opened a new factory in the Cotswolds. This facility will support production as the business expands and begins delivering cars to customers worldwide.

The launch of the McMurtry Owners Club in 2026 marks another important step. It gives the company’s growing community of owners a chance to share their enthusiasm for the car and its technology.

For McMurtry, the transition from a small engineering project to a production manufacturer is a significant achievement.

McMurtry Technology: Innovation Beyond the Track

McMurtry’s ambitions extend beyond building its own cars.

Furthermore, the company has launched McMurtry Technology, a division that works closely with established automotive and motorsport manufacturers.

Its focus includes advanced battery systems and Downforce on Demand technology.

By sharing its expertise with other manufacturers, McMurtry can help develop new solutions for the wider automotive industry.

This approach also creates new opportunities for the company. It allows McMurtry to build on its engineering strengths while supporting the development of future performance vehicles.

As electric power becomes more common, technologies that improve grip, efficiency and performance could become increasingly valuable.

McMurtry’s experience gives it a strong foundation for this work.

McMurtry Automotive: A Decade of Firsts

The company’s first ten years have produced a remarkable list of achievements.

The figures behind the company’s growth are equally impressive.

What began with just six engineers has since grown into a team of nearly 100 people. Along the way, the company has developed patented technologies and, as a result, created a car capable of challenging some of the world’s most advanced performance machines.

That progress has also brought new opportunities for the business.

What Comes Next for McMurtry?

Over the past decade, McMurtry Automotive has consistently proved that, despite being a small British engineering company, it can successfully compete with the world’s most established performance car manufacturers.

Its next challenge is to turn that success into a sustainable business.

Producing the Spéirling PURE for customers will require the same attention to detail that helped the company set its records. At the same time, McMurtry Technology offers opportunities to apply its engineering expertise beyond its own cars.

Thomas Yates, McMurtry’s co-founder and Managing Director, reflected on the company’s progress:

“Just ten years ago, there was only a handful of us, with a blank sheet of paper and the ambition to build a car company.”

He added that the team had since patented new technologies, grown to nearly 100 people and raised the bar for performance vehicles.

Looking ahead, he believes the next decade will be even more exciting.

Conclusion: Can McMurtry Redefine the Future of Performance Cars?

McMurtry Automotive’s first ten years have been anything but ordinary.

From a six-person engineering team to a record-breaking electric hypercar, the company has shown what can happen when ambitious ideas meet practical engineering.

The Spéirling PURE has already challenged established manufacturers and demonstrated the potential of fan-generated downforce.

Now, with a new factory and a growing technology division, McMurtry is preparing for its next stage of growth.

The question is no longer whether a small British manufacturer can build an extraordinary performance car. It is how far its technology can go.

What do you think McMurtry Automotive should achieve in its next decade? Furthermore, could its innovative fan-powered downforce technology help shape the future of performance cars? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

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