--- title: "The Record-Breaking Goodwood Electric Fan Car Is Getting a Street-Legal Version" description: "There's going to be a street-legal version of the electric McMurtry Speirling, the fan car that broke Goodwood's hill climb record." date: "2022-06-28" modified: "2022-06-28" authors: - name: "Nico DeMattia" job_title: "Contributing Writer" link: "https://www.thedrive.com/authors/nico-demattia" url: "https://www.thedrive.com/news/the-record-breaking-goodwood-electric-fan-car-is-getting-a-street-legal-version" categories: - "Car Tech" - "News" tags: - "Electric Vehicle" --- # The Record-Breaking Goodwood Electric Fan Car Is Getting a Street-Legal Version ![]() The all-time Goodwood Hill Climb record was broken this past weekend by the [McMurtry Speirling]() fan car with a time of 39.08 seconds. The footage from its hill climb almost looks sped up; cars shouldn't be able to move that quickly. Such a car is certainly too fast and too intense for the road, right? Apparently, McMurtry doesn't think so, as a street-legal version of the Speirling is on the way—and it's even bringing the fan with it. During an interview with *[Autocar]()*, McMurtry Managing Director Thomas Yates confirmed that a road-going variant will be built. “We want to provide something that you can drive through the center of London, and then take onto a track,” Yates said. That makes it sound as if the road-going Speirling will still be primarily a track car, just one that you don't need a trailer to transport. "It will never be the most comfortable over speed bumps, but that’s not really the point. The point is you have this unbelievable, loud, exciting, electric, really compact car that you know will be the fastest \[car\] at any track day you attend," he added. For the most part, the street-legal version of the Speirling will be the same as the current track-only car. That means its nearly 1,000 horsepower powertrain and sub-2,000 pound curb weight will likely make it to the road. According to McMurtry, the Speirling track car can do zero-to-60 miles per hour in 1.5 seconds and zero-to-186 mph in nine seconds flat. ![]() Even more interesting is that it will keep its fan, similar to the '70s Brabham BT46 F1 car or Gordon Murray's upcoming [GMA T.50](). The fan is used to suck air from underneath the car, through its diffusers, and blow it out through the back end. McMurtry claims the fan is so effective that it generates 4,409 pounds (2,000 kilograms) of downforce at a standstill. McMurtry says the fan will only operate when in track mode, but unless it's geo-fenced to pre-programmed tracks, what's to stop customers from using track mode on the road? As awesome as the fan could be, I can totally see owners finding a way to engage track mode, and the fan, to show off on the road and unintentionally machine-gunning debris into the windshields of cars behind them. In McMurtry's defense, it's unlikely stones will come through the fan, as even the old school Brabham F1 car—whose crude device acted like a vacuum cleaner, sucking the car to the pavement—barely threw stones, as its airspeed was only 50 mph. And [Gordon Murray's T.50 fan doesn't throw stones at all](), due to the steepness of the diffusers underneath the car and the fact that the airflow passes through a filter. Still, we don't know much about the Speirling's fan and how it works, but if it's capable of generating SUV-on-the-roof levels of downforce, it might work more like the vacuum-style Brabham fan car rather than the T.50. McMurtry hasn't announced an exact price just yet but did say it would cost seven figures and only a "handful" would be made. But for those lucky few rich people, the road-going Speirling will be the closest thing to a real-life Batmobile anyone can buy, with its single-seat layout and Tim Burton-style design. It might not spit flames out of the back, but it could shoot rocks. *Got a tip? Send it to: tips@thedrive.com* ## Author Nico is a writer and reviewer from New Jersey who probably thinks he’s a lot funnier than he actually is. His love of cars began when he was just a kid playing Gran Turismo 3, grinding out enough race wins with a Mazda Miata to save up for an in-game RUF 911. That passion for small, lightweight sports cars drove his desire to learn more about the industry, get his hands on as many cars as he could, and bring those experiences to life on the page. He cut his teeth writing about BMWs, Volkswagens, and Audis, mostly, and has owned far too many of each. He’s on his fourth 3 Series sedan, but all of his old, cheap German cars have forced him to learn more about car maintenance than his mechanical capability can handle. Too many late nights have been spent scrambling to get a car running by morning so he could get to work. For some reason, he never seems to learn that old Bimmers probably aren’t the best daily drivers. But he loves more than just old German cars. He’ll gladly drive and discuss anything with four (or even three) wheels. Cars aren’t his only passions, though. Nico is also a big nerd and loves movies, video games, comic books, and cares far too much about the New York Giants. So don’t be surprised if you see football references or dumb, obscure movie quotes in any of his car reviews. ### Author social links [Instagram]() [LinkedIn]()