McMurtry Spéirling reaches 60 mph in 1.4 s, runs a quarter mile in 7.97 s

It is well known that electric vehicles can have breathtaking acceleration figures, but the McMurtry Spéirling Track Car is on another level.

McMurtry’s team recently joined car dealership Carwow and dumped its YouTube host Mat Watson in the Spéirling a number of times.

On a damp track surface that received a drying treatment, Watson managed a 0-60 mph time of 1.4 seconds, a 0-100 mph time of 2.63 seconds and a quarter mile time of 7.97 seconds. Unlike most other published EV acceleration numbers, the Spéirling’s time was measured with no rollout.

In comparison, the Pininfarina Battista hypercar takes 1.79 seconds to hit 60 mph, which is the current record for production cars, although that number was reached with the rollout. And Rimac’s Nevera hypercar has achieved a quarter mile time of 8.5 seconds.

However, the Spéirling is a track-only machine designed to fit you in tight spaces, and for this test the car was running on bespoke slick tires. Peak power is 1,000 horsepower, all sent to the rear wheels in a vehicle that weighs less than 2,200 pounds.

To improve traction there is a fan-powered ground effect system that creates a lot of downforce. We’re talking the ability to generate in excess of 4,400 pounds of downforce when stationary.

McMurtry said the battery, believed to be a 60kWh unit, can deliver over 300 miles of range under normal driving and 25 minutes of operation at track speeds comparable to a GT4 race car. The Spéirling is just as impressive in turns as it is on the drag strip. In June, former Formula One driver and current Spéirling development driver Max Chilton set a record time of 39.08 seconds for the 1.16 mile Goodwood Hill Climb.

McMurtry is currently working on a road version of the Spéirling and has already opened the order books. Production will be limited to just a handful of cars and costs will run into the seven figures. McMurtry will then launch a successor to the Spéirling, a car expected to be even smaller.

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