{"id":662748,"date":"2025-04-15T06:50:22","date_gmt":"2025-04-15T03:50:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/how-the-mcmurtry-speirling-became-the-first-car-to-drive-upside-down\/"},"modified":"2025-04-15T06:50:22","modified_gmt":"2025-04-15T03:50:22","slug":"how-the-mcmurtry-speirling-became-the-first-car-to-drive-upside-down","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/how-the-mcmurtry-speirling-became-the-first-car-to-drive-upside-down\/","title":{"rendered":"How the McMurtry Sp\u00e9irling became the first car to drive upside down"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_85 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a3f8ae694c10\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a3f8ae694c10\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/how-the-mcmurtry-speirling-became-the-first-car-to-drive-upside-down\/#The_route_to_public_roads_for_McMurtry\" >The route to public roads for McMurtry<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<div id=\"article-main-content\">\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Motorheads have long theorised that the extreme downforce generated by high-performance cars could one day let them drive upside down. Now, British carmaker McMurtry has turned that wild idea into a reality for the first time.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In a stunt that would make Batman jealous, McMurtry drove its insanely fast electric Sp\u00e9irling flipped over. More impressively, it did that for over a minute while keeping the vehicle completely stationary \u2014 save for a quick acceleration to prove the car wasn\u2019t tied down.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">While it might look like the car has defied gravity, in reality, it\u2019s basic physics coupled with some clever engineering.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">To drive upside down using conventional aerodynamics, an F1-style car would need to hit at least 100\u2013150 mph to generate enough downforce to exceed its own weight and \u201cstick\u201d to the ceiling.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"inarticle-wrapper latest channel-cta hs-embed-tnw\">\n<div id=\"hs-embed-tnw\" class=\"channel-cta-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"channel-cta-img\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"js-lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com\/tnw.events\/hardfork-2018\/uploads\/visuals\/tnw-newsletter.png\"\/><\/div>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com\/tnw.events\/hardfork-2018\/uploads\/visuals\/tnw-newsletter.png\"\/><\/p>\n<div class=\"channel-cta-input\">\n<p class=\"channel-cta-title\">The \ud83d\udc9c of EU tech<\/p>\n<p class=\"channel-cta-tagline\">The latest rumblings from the EU tech scene, a story from our wise ol&#8217; founder Boris, and some questionable AI art. It&#8217;s free, every week, in your inbox. Sign up now!<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But the Sp\u00e9irling is a <\/span><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/hackaday.com\/2021\/03\/05\/the-rise-and-fall-of-the-fan-car\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">fan car<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Twin electric turbines positioned behind the cockpit of the vehicle pull air from under the chassis and expel it through a rear-mounted exhaust system, creating a low-pressure zone underneath that presses the car onto the road.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This system means the Sp\u00e9irling can generate 2,000kg of downforce on demand. That\u2019s great for grip in high-speed turns, but it also means the 1,000kg car can hang upside down, even when standing still.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">That\u2019s how McMurtry\u2019s co-founder Thomas Yates was able to drive the Sp\u00e9irling onto a rotating rig, flip it 180 degrees upside down, and have it stay there. No wires. No magnets. Just an insane amount of downforce.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The_route_to_public_roads_for_McMurtry\"><\/span>The route to public roads for McMurtry<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<figure class=\"post-image post-mediaBleed aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1413049 js-lazy\" alt=\"The McMurtry Sp\u00e9irling up driving upside on a ramp\" width=\"1640\" height=\"1094\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2025\/04\/3-180deg-Rotation.jpg\"\/><figcaption>McMurtry steered the Sp\u00e9irling up a ramp and drove it upside down. Credit: McMurtry<\/figcaption><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1413049\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2025\/04\/3-180deg-Rotation.jpg\" alt=\"The McMurtry Sp\u00e9irling up driving upside on a ramp\" width=\"1640\" height=\"1094\" srcset=\"\"\/><\/figure>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">While this was just a stunt \u2014 for now \u2014 one can\u2019t help but wonder what the future might hold. Stuck in tunnel traffic? Just drive up the wall, flip upside down, and cruise on the ceiling. Goodbye, gridlock.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Sp\u00e9irling Pure, the company\u2019s first commercially available vehicle, is set to go on sale next year for \u00a3895,000. So, technically, you could try upside-down driving yourself.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cThat said, customers are strongly advised not to try [driving upside down] at home,\u201d a McMurtry spokesperson told TNW.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you\u2019re mad enough to give it a go, McMurtry recommends contacting the company directly to discuss \u201cpre-flight checks, preparation and safety equipment, and controlled demonstration environments.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For now, though, McMurtry is preoccupied with smashing records the right side up. On the same day as the Batmobile-like stunt, the Sp\u00e9irling <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">beat the all-time <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/news\/articles\/c5y6p321neyo\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Top Gear track record<\/a> by 3.1 seconds, dethroning a Renault F1 car at the top of the leaderboard.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The McMurtry Sp\u00e9irling\u2019s fan-based tech gives it incredible grip in corners. It\u2019s no slouch, either. Dual electric motors \u2014 one for each rear wheel \u2014 deliver over 1,000 horsepower combined. Paired with a featherweight chassis, this allows the car to clock 0\u201360mph in 1.5 seconds.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMN63nwsw68G3Aw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more like this article, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/category\/technology\/\" target=\"_blank\" >Technology category.<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/thenextweb.com\/news\/how-the-mcmurtry-speirling-drove-upside-down\" target=\"_blank\" >Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Motorheads have long theorised that the extreme downforce generated by high-performance cars could one day let them drive upside down. Now, British carmaker McMurtry has turned that wild idea into a reality for the first time. In a stunt that would make Batman jealous, McMurtry drove its insanely fast electric Sp\u00e9irling flipped over. More impressively,&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":662749,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/img-cdn.tnwcdn.com\/image\/tnw-blurple?filter_last=1&fit=1280%2C640&url=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn0.tnwcdn.com%2Fwp-content%2Fblogs.dir%2F1%2Ffiles%2F2025%2F04%2FUntitled-design-13.jpg&signature=f0bd487ad3deca50e1c88e50ec426def","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-662748","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-technology"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/662748","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=662748"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/662748\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/662749"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=662748"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=662748"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=662748"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}