McMurtry

Founded in 2016 by Sir David McMurtry, the co-founder of the global metrology leader Renishaw, McMurtry Automotive was established to challenge the automotive industry's trend toward increasingly large and heavy vehicles. Based in Gloucestershire, the company spent its initial years in a stealth development phase, focusing on a design philosophy of 'small is fast.' This culminated in the development of the Spéirling, a single-seater electric prototype designed to showcase the potential of active fan-assisted downforce. The company gained international prominence at the 2021 Goodwood Festival of Speed, where the Spéirling made its public debut. In 2022, the car made history when driver Max Chilton set a new all-time hill climb record at Goodwood with a time of 39.08 seconds, surpassing the previous record held by the Volkswagen ID.R. This success validated the firm's unique engineering approach, which uses twin high-speed fans to suck the car to the ground, generating over 2,000kg of downforce even from a standstill. In 2023, McMurtry announced the Spéirling PURE, a track-only production version limited to 100 units. Following the passing of Sir David McMurtry in 2024, the company's leadership transitioned to his sons, Richard and Ben McMurtry, who have continued to scale operations. To support production, the firm opened a new 2,700-square-meter manufacturing facility in Wotton-under-Edge in early 2026, separating its commercial assembly from its primary research and development center at the Swinhay estate. By mid-2026, McMurtry launched 'McMurtry Technology,' a dedicated division aimed at commercializing its proprietary intellectual property in battery cooling, high-power powertrains, and aerodynamic systems for other OEMs. As customer deliveries for the Spéirling PURE began, the company solidified its position as a pioneer in the niche hyper-EV market, with plans to expand its model range and apply its lightweighting expertise across the wider automotive and aerospace sectors.