Yahoo Autos The McMurtry Speirling Smashed 2 Laguna Seca Lap Records Without Trying
The McMurtry Spéirling is now the production car king of Laguna Seca, after snagging not one but two separate lap records there last month — becoming both the fastest production EV to ever lap the circuit and, more impressively, the fastest production car to do so, lapping the hallowed grounds in 1 minute 18.413 seconds. And here's the crazy part: McMurtry wasn't even trying to set a record in the first place.
For context, there's been a fair bit of competition lately over the production lap time record at Laguna Seca. First, Koenigsegg broke a record held by Czinger by lapping the course in 1:24.86. It was just under a second faster than the Czinger — but notably, it was the first time Koenigsegg had taken the Jesko Attack to the course, and the pilot had never driven Laguna Seca.
Shortly thereafter, Czinger rolled back into the Laguna Seca with its C21 and snatched the record back again. This time though, it only managed to eke out 0.11 seconds over the Jesko — but hey, a win is a win, right?
Of course, as it turns out, both record attempts were in vain, as the McMurtry Spéirling Pure had already done it 6.3 seconds quicker than the C21 back during Monterey Car Week — they just apparently forgot to tell anyone about it. How on earth is that possible?
Well, the all-electric Spéirling makes 1,000 horsepower and weighs just 2,200 pounds. On top of that, it uses a pair of fans to generate 4,000 pounds of downforce even when sitting still, literally sucking the car to the ground and creating ludicrous grip.
For anyone who has ever played Gran Turismo and taken the Red Bull X2010 prototype car around any track, the video here will seem familiar. The McMurtry seems almost comically poised on the famous track, with no drama in any of the corners.
Also notable driver Philip Kadoorie, son of wealthy businessman Michael Kadoorie, isn't a pro racing driver; he's an amateur, albeit a knowledgeable one currently running a Group C Porsche 962 in historic motorsport. Despite that, he just so happened to set the record during a 10-minute stint on the track. In fact, somewhat hilariously, Kadoorie appears to have no idea he just set a record in the video. It happens during the fourth of seven laps, and he just continues driving like it's another day at the office.
Given all this, it seems likely McMurtry could very well come back to Laguna Seca and go much faster. Not only could it employ a pro driver with nore experience at the track but it could also dial up the wick on the car: the brand says says the record-setting example was running at just 50 percent power and at 50 percent of its maximum downforce.
Finally, it's worth noting that while this is faster than any production car ever, McMurtry needs to actually build several of these to officially achieve that title of 'fastest production car ever.' (It's planned for production, but so far, it doesn't seem as though any have been delivered.) Still, this is a ridiculous result, thanks to some amazing engineering... although, it should be pretty amazing, considering the car starts at around $1.18 million.
You Might Also Like
