In the annual Hillclimb Race, an electric car broke the 1999 speed record for the first time, completing the 1.89-kilometer route in 39.08 seconds. The car will soon go into series production.
As part of the Goodwood Festival, the largest racing festival in the world, the fastest sports cars have always competed against each other on the 1.89 kilometer hill climb route. Two impressive videos in this article show what the racing cars are capable of.
The hillclimb route has been used as part of the Goodwood Festival of Speed since 1993. Cars and motorcycles from all eras compete against each other on the track. The route is also used by Formula 1 cars.
The winner of the first hill climb race was Willie Green. He completed the course in 1993 in a Surtees Cosworth TS20 in 56.3 seconds. In 1999, the German driver Nick Heidfeld achieved the fastest track time to date. He covered the distance in 41.6 seconds in a McLaren MP4/13.
Electric motor versus petrol engine
Since 1999, no racer has managed to undercut Nick Heidfeld’s track time. But in 2022, Max Chilton broke the record with an electrically powered prototype car.
The McMurtry Spéirling completed the Hillclimb race in 39.08 seconds, setting a new record racers will have to beat for years to come. The car was able to achieve the short track time primarily through rapid acceleration.
The McMurtry Spéirling can accelerate from 0 to 96.66 km/h in 1.4 seconds. This means that the McMurtry Spéirling has the highest acceleration of any car and surpasses the former world record holder Koenigsegg Gemera, which accelerates from 0 to 96.66 km/h in 1.9 seconds.
In a direct duel with a Ferrari, the acceleration of the Italian sports car seems almost frighteningly slow, as the following video on Instagram impressively shows:
Link to Instagram content
You can buy the world record car soon
The McMurtry Spéirling is said to have an output of 1,000 hp and weigh around one ton. The car is powered by a 60 kWh battery and has a range of 483 kilometers.
The Spéirling will soon be produced for the road. To do this, it must be equipped with working lights and windscreen wipers. Unfortunately, a release date is not yet known. However, you can already pre-order the Spéirling from McMurtry. The price is currently still open.
You can see how McMurty broke the aforementioned speed record in all its glory in the following video:
Link to YouTube content
E-cars differ from petrol or diesel-powered cars in the way they are driven. Especially the acceleration and the quiet driving speak for electric cars. If you ever want to drive an electric car, you might be able to borrow one as part of car sharing: will you still need your own car in the city in 2023? I tried car sharing for 5 days
An electric car beats all petrol engines when it comes to acceleration. Could this be an omen? What do you think of the McMurtry Spéirling? Pointless gimmick or future-oriented technology? What does the future of electric cars look like in general? Or is another technique ahead of your point of view? Feel free to write your opinion in the comments.