WATCH | McMurtry Spéirling smashes Castle Combe lap record

On April 29 the McMurtry Spéirling Pure fan car set a new lap record at Castle Combe Circuit, completing the 2.977km course in 54.559 seconds.

This time, achieved during routine testing, surpassed the previous record by four seconds, which had been held by a Formula 3 car. The lap was also nearly ten seconds faster than the GT3 record for the same track.

Development driver Max Chilton was at the wheel.

Chilton, who also holds the record at the Goodwood Festival of Speed, reached this milestone despite the car running at 80% power and being limited to 250km/h. He noted this performance illustrates what customers could potentially achieve at their own local circuits.

The Spéirling Pure, available globally and priced from £895,000 (R20.8m), is equipped with a 745kW electric powertrain and features a downforce-on-demand system designed to enhance grip and stability from the moment the car starts moving. It offers performance modes that range from GT3 to F1-level pace.

“This is a fun milestone to achieve,” said McMurtry managing director Thomas Yates.

“It’s not every day you get to see a car and driver go so much faster than what’s gone before. Having tested at Castle Combe for years, it was about time we showed what the car can do around our local circuit.”

McMurtry is now en route to the US to compete at Laguna Seca in the reverse corkscrew hillclimb with the Goodwood record holding Spéirling and Chilton on August 10 to 11.