THE first car to drive upside down has been unveiled after smashing a world record.
The McMurtry Spéirling defied the laws of gravity thanks to a powerful fan system which allows it to “suck” itself to a surface.
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Co-founder Thomas Yates showcased this world-first at McMurtry Automotive’s headquarters in Gloucestershire, calling it a “fantastic day in the office”.
The impressive motor is just one of 100 models that will be produced by 2026 – with many dubbing the Spéirling’s launch a “redefining” moment for the industry.
It even broke Top Gear’s 20-year lap record.
As a single-seater EV it weighs under 1000kg but creates more than 1000bhp in down force.
It can also hit 100mph in just 2.66 seconds.
Watching from the sidelines, McMurtry’s team cheered on as Thomas drove the car up a ramp onto the platform before being rotated by the custom-built rig.
Using nothing else but pure aerodynamic force, the car remained glued to the rig – with over 2000kg of suction at zero mph.
This 1000bhp EV moving upside down used the same technology that broke records at the Goodwood Festival of Speed and Laguna Seca Hillclimb, California.
Defying gravity and suspended mid-air, the car’s sculpted body and matte black livery were then exposed giving semblance of the iconic Batmobile.
The iconic vehicle has been described as “unlike anything else on the road”.
Thomas told Interesting Engineering: “With a longer inverted track or a suitable tunnel, we may be able to drive even further.”
This is the incredible moment an AI-driven Maserati nearly hit 200mph, setting a new world record during a stunning speed test.
The new autonomous speed record, set by a robot-controlled car in Florida, U.S, reached a whopping 197.7mph on the Kennedy Space Centre runway.
Earlier this month, another record was broken when an AI-driven Maserati nearly hit 200mph.
Footage from inside the car, shows the vehicle starts cruising at around 20mph before hitting a rapid acceleration.
The streetcar can be seen racing up the runway – as if it’s about to take off – before it starts to gradually get to 197.7mph.
The rocket-like vehicle, painted in a gorgeous green and blue fade with an INDY Autonomous Challenge logo, hit the spectacular achievement without a human in the driver’s seat.
The speedy project, which saw an MC20 Cielo reach the record, was undertaken by experts from Maserati, the Indy Autonomous Challenge, the 1000 Miglia Experience Florida and Politecnico di Milano University.
The experts at Maserati have also attempted this daredevil endeavour before – previously reaching 192.8mph in a driverless IAC AV21 in 2022.
Scientific Director of the project Professor Sergio Matteo Savaresi said the incredible feat “demonstrates the robustness and reliability of the algorithms developed for autonomous driving.”
The convertible MC20 Cielo was specially fitted with Lidar camera and sensor technology.
The same model of this car also managed to complete the famously difficult 1000 Miglia road race in Italy without a driver in 2023.