The McMurtry Spéirling Pure, a compact British electric hypercar, has set a new lap record at the Top Gear Test Track, completing a lap in 55.9 seconds—comfortably beating the 59.0-second mark set by the Renault R24 Formula 1 car in 2004.
Top Gear tested the Spéirling Pure at its Dunsfold Aerodrome circuit, where the car outpaced expectations. With an acceleration time of 0–60 mph in just 1.5 seconds and the ability to generate over 2,000 kg (4,400 lbs) of downforce from a proprietary fan system, the Spéirling displayed cornering speeds that exceeded even those of Formula 1 vehicles.
Developed as a track-focused evolution of the earlier Spéirling prototype, which broke the Goodwood Hillclimb record in 2022, the Pure version features wider slick tires, a peak power output of 999 hp, a 60 kWh battery, and a lightweight design at just 1,000 kg (2,200 lbs). The top speed is rated at 190 mph (306 km/h), though during the Top Gear test run, the vehicle reached 177 mph (285 km/h).
Footage from the onboard camera showed the car’s extreme acceleration and grip, described by Top Gear as resembling “a video game played at double speed.” The new lap time not only broke the standing F1 benchmark but also eclipsed the previous fastest time by a road-legal vehicle, the Aston Martin Valkyrie, which recorded 1:09.6—making the McMurtry 13 seconds quicker.
The result solidifies the Spéirling Pure’s status as one of the most extreme and capable EVs ever tested on a circuit.