You may wonder why “fan car” is said in such a reverent tone, why Formula 1 banned Gordon Murray’s Brabham BT46B after a race when Niki Lauda dominated the field at the 1978 Swedish tournament. . grand opening, or why it was that Murray who revived the fan concept on his T.50. For the answer, look no further than this, McMurtry Automotive Spéirling. The story goes that Sir David McMurtry, the billionaire co-founder of science and engineering technology company Renishaw, asked a group of former F1 engineers in 2016 for a brief tram with “the dual goal of driver engagement and vehicle performance.”
The result is the single-seater Spéirling that comes with the tagline “Smaller, Faster, Farther.” It uses a power of 60 kW the battery to power two electric motors on the rear axle, producing more than last year’s 800hp. At under 2,200 pounds, McMurtry says a strength-to-weight ratio of 1,000 ponies per ton. However, the secret sauce for getting the most out of all of that is the twin fans below. By combining 4,400 pounds of downforce from a standstill and pairing that force with the instantaneous torque of the electronic engine, the Spéirling can accelerate from zero to 60 mph in less than 1.5 years. second.
A prototype version ran up the hill 1.6 miles in Goodwood last year, skidding when cornering when the car and the driver have adapted to the tight cornering circuit. After a year of testing and raising fan numbers, Spéirling is back on the hill this year with the goal of winning the hill and breaking the record entirely by Volkswagen ID.R at 39.9 seconds. With ex-IndyCar and F1 With Max Chilton at the wheel, the Spéirling completed a practice lap on Friday in 41.29 seconds. On Saturday, our Joel Stockdale stood in Good wood Watch as Spéirling complete the qualifying lap in 40.056 seconds with British climbing champion Alex Summers at the wheel. If Chilton can find another 0.157-second pace in Sunday’s main event, the British upstart will put ID.R in its shadow.
McMurtry Spierling set a staggering 40,056 seconds at Goodwood, nearly beating VW ID.R’s record of 39.9 seconds. @therealautoblog pic.twitter.com/WQxzDFL04x
– Joel Stocksdale (@ GeekyGearhead99)
June 25, 2022
McMurtry said it will release more specifications later, sharing that the in-house battery design uses cells from Canadian battery maker Molicel and has an electrical architecture of more than 800 volts. The carbon fiber The bodywork hides an active suspension, a carbon brake system with six-piston calipers all around and custom tires sized 210/640 19 at the front – more like the rear motorcycle tires – and 240/640 19 in the rear. Most of the noise at speed is not caused by the tires but by the fan making 100 dB on the flight path.
The company wants to use Spéirling “to herald a new era of electrified road capabilities, spur broader EV development, and introduce McMurtry Automotive as the EV innovator for road and race cars.” .” A record Sunday will give that journey a big boost.
