Fast cars are often called expensive toys because they are built to make their drivers have fun at the steering wheel. Despite that, the McMurtry Spéirling Pure is possibly the automobile that deserves that classification the most. After all, it is relatively small and has a restricted use. It also deserves to be called exclusive: apart from being quite expensive, it is also a single-seater, which means it offers fun to a single person at a time.
McMurtry has been teasing the Spéirling for quite a while. The tiny marvel broke the Goodwood Hillclimb record in 2022 by completing it in 39.08 seconds. Apart from its low mass (it weighs less than 1,000 kilograms or 2,205 pounds), it also counts on a downforce-on-demand fan system. The GMA T.50 also uses this concept. McMurtry promises the Pure will be even faster than the prototype that broke the Goodwood record. It will charge those seeking these mindblowing performances £820,000 plus taxes. The price tag alone is equivalent to $953,709 at the current exchange rate.
To deliver an even quicker car, McMurtry made a series of improvements in the Spéirling prototype we have seen in Goodwood. The fan system is now 15% more efficient, 14% lighter, and has improved tolerance to flow variation. The skirt it needs to create the downforce effect is 15% lighter.
Photo: McMurtry
The 60-kWhbattery pack that powers this tiny battery electric vehicle has a 15.5% lighter battery pack casing. New Molicel batteries made the pack 3% lighter, even with better thermal management. The chassis lost 4% of its former weight, and a new electrical architecture allowed the wiring loom mass to drop by 35%.
The mass reduction measures also affected the wheel rims, which are 2% lighter in the front axle and lost 12% of their previous weight on the rear. The brake system is 2.5% lighter, while a revised pedal box and a lightened power steering unit managed to deliver mass savings of respectively 17% and 20%.
That's quite an achievement for a component that will have even more work with the 28% wider front tires. Instead of 21/64R19 units, they are now 27/65R18. If you think these measures are weird, that's because the Spéirling Pure uses slick rubbers. In the rear, the tires are 25% wider: instead of 24/64R19s, they are now 30/68R18 units. The little missile is a track-only vehicle. Just try to imagine the trouble McMurtry would have to make a road-legal version of this car… Just like a toy, it can only be used in the proper environment.
Photo: McMurtry
Being a single-seater makes the Spéirling Pure an exclusive machine, but that's probably a good thing. This BEV can reach cornering accelerations in excess of 3G. Any passenger would probably get dizzy or throw up in the neat cabin of this amazing machine when submitted to such forces. Besides saving weight with a single seat in the cabin, keeping it exclusively for the driver was probably a safety and hygienic measure.
Another advantage that the lonely seat brought was the potential for weight saving in a more compact body. The Spéirling Pure is only 1.58 meters (62.2 in) wide and 1.02 m (40.2 in) tall, but it is longer than most people would imagine: 3.45 m (135.8 in), the same size as a Renault ZOE or a Volkswagen up!. A Chevrolet Spark is only 5 centimeters (2 in) longer. According to McMurtry, the length and adjustable pedals and steering wheel column help the Spéirling Pure accommodate a driver who is 6ft 7" (2 m) tall and weighs up to 150 kg (330.7 lb).
Photo: McMurtry
Destined to be used only in tracks, the range should not be a concern for its potential owners, but the company states it can complete ten laps at a "lap record pace" in Silverstone. Its E-axle delivers 745 kW (999 hp) and a top speed of 190 mph (305.8 kph). Considering the British circuit is 3.66 miles (5.891 km) long, that means the McMurtry has a range of 36.6 miles (58.91 km) when running at full speed. Owners willing to play more with their toys will have to wait 20 minutes for a fast charge, which will reduce the range to 80%. At least, that is what most manufacturers recommend as the limit for fast charging: 80% of the battery pack's capacity. In other words, the Spéirling Pure will be ready for eight laps instead of ten after needing a new charge. McMurtry did not disclose the charging speed the BEV can take.
For those with a spare $1 million in the bank and access to tracks, the British company said it wants to present pre-production prototypes for the Stéirling Pure in 2024. The first deliveries should take place in 2025. Only one hundred cars will be made, which is always an incentive for wealthy buyers to rush. There's a great chance that some of them will be left hanging or waiting for a used Spéirling Pure to get to the market.
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