McMurtry Reminds Tesla Who Drove Upside Down First After Roadster's Viral Video

Tesla's recent demonstration with the Roadster, showing the car driving upside down on a ramp and maneuvering mid-air, went viral on the internet. Now, McMurtry has responded to Tesla's viral demonstration by reminding the world that its Speirling fan car drove upside down first.

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The British company shared a clip of the Speirling being held inverted purely by its Downforce-on-Demand fan system, a feat it first showcased in April 2025. In the post, the company wrote a cheeky message for Tesla, saying, "Welcome to the club".

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Tesla's Roadster stunt, performed at SpaceX's McGregor, Texas test site on October 15, saw the car climb a curved ramp, travel upside down using a suction system, and then perform mid-air flips with cold-gas thrusters before landing.

McMurtry's Earlier Feat

In April 2025, McMurtry drove its Speirling hypercar upside down on a purpose-built rotating rig at its Gloucestershire headquarters. Co-founder Thomas Yates drove the car forward while it was fully inverted, held in place solely by the vacuum created by its fan system.

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The Downforce-on-Demand system generates up to 2,000 kg of downforce, available even at a standstill. That allowed the Speirling to remain attached to the inverted platform without any mechanical support, a world first at the time.

Different Approaches, Same Headline

While both cars achieved an inverted drive, the methods differ. Tesla's Roadster used a suction ramp for the upside-down phase and SpaceX-derived cold-gas thrusters for its airborne manoeuvres. For Tesla, the tech came from SpaceX, which used the same technology on its rockets.

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McMurtry's Speirling relied entirely on fan-generated downforce, with no thrusters involved. Besides driving upside down, the downforce generated by the fan is used to keep the car planted on tarmac at high speeds. This also helps in making turns at higher speeds.

McMurtry's reminder is less a direct challenge and more a nod to its own pioneering work. The company's Speirling also holds records at the Goodwood Festival of Speed Hillclimb, the Top Gear Test Track and the Laguna Seca Corkscrew Hillclimb.