Tiny electric rocket ship gets to the Goodwood finish line in just 39.08 seconds - breaking VW's record
British motorsport outfit McMurtry Automotive has smashed the record Goodwood Hillclimb time with its outlandish ground-effect Spéirling EV.
The tiny single-seater – which uses an innovative underbody fan to maximise downforce – was 0.8 seconds quicker up the hill than the previous record holder, Volkswagen's ID R EV racer, stopping the clock at a blistering 39.08 seconds.
Ex-Marussia F1 driver Max Chilton was at the wheel for the record run (which you can watch below), during the official Sunday afternoon timed shoot-out. He had earlier gone up the hill in 39.14 seconds, so had already beaten the ID R.
McMurtry announced it was going for the record time last week with the super-lightweight machine, which measures just 3200mm long and – crucially – 1500mm wide, which gives it an edge on the tight Goodwood course over more potent but wider rivals.
Ultimately, the Spéirling was roughly six seconds quicker up the hill than the 1973bhp Ford Supervan 4, 1072bhp Porsche GT4 E-Performance and even a 1993 Jaguar XJR-12D Le Mans prototype.
McMurtry has yet to provide full technical details of the Spéirling, but says it packs 1000bhp and weighs less than 1000kg, giving a power-to-weight ratio 40% better than that of even the Bugatti Chiron. As a result, it is claimed to rocket from 0-186mph in just 9.0 seconds.