British electric car maker McMurtry has reminded the world that it drove a car upside down long before Tesla. After a video of Tesla’s new Roadster driving inverted and flipping through the air went viral, McMurtry posted a clip of its own Spéirling hanging upside down, with a short message: “Welcome to the club.”
The two stunts look similar, but they are built on different technology and were meant to show different things.
What happened
On Thursday, October 15, 2026, Tesla showed a redesigned Roadster prototype at a SpaceX test site in McGregor, Texas. The car drove up a tall curved ramp, kept going upside down along it, and then left the ramp, flipped in the air and landed, with the help of cold-gas thrusters developed with SpaceX, according to ETV Bharat and other reports.
Elon Musk shared the video on X, and clips of the demo spread quickly. The next day, October 16, McMurtry posted on Instagram, according to NDTV. The post showed the Spéirling held upside down by its fans, with the message “Welcome to the club.” We could not open the Instagram post directly, so the wording comes from NDTV’s report.
Key facts at a glance
- Tesla’s demo: October 15, 2026, at SpaceX’s McGregor test site in Texas, near Waco.
- Tesla’s tech: A fan-based suction system plus SpaceX-derived cold-gas thrusters. Musk said on stage that the fans can pull up to 2 Gs, and that the thrusters came from SpaceX, according to a transcript reported by a blog covering the event.
- McMurtry’s feat: April 11, 2025, at the company’s headquarters in Gloucestershire, England. Co-founder and managing director Thomas Yates drove the Spéirling PURE prototype onto a rotating rig that turned it 180 degrees.
- McMurtry’s tech: The Downforce-on-Demand fan system, which creates a vacuum under the car. McMurtry says it generates up to 2,000 kg of downforce, even at a standstill.
- Thrusters: McMurtry’s car used none. Fans alone held it in place.
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How the two stunts differ
Both cars ended up upside down, but the way they did it is not the same.
Tesla’s Roadster used suction to stick to a ramp, and thrusters for the aerial flip and landing. The inkl summary of the demo says it was a short, controlled stunt and that several of Tesla’s larger claims are still unproven. Tesla has said it plans to start production in 2028, according to reports.
McMurtry’s Spéirling stayed on the ground, held to the underside of a rotating platform by its fans. After it was fully inverted, Yates drove forward without any support, McMurtry said at the time. The company called it a world first for driving upside down from a standstill.
So the two are not quite like for like. McMurtry’s stunt was about driving inverted. Tesla’s added a ramp climb, thrusters and a flip.
Background: a fan car with a record book
The Spéirling is a single-seat, 1,000 hp electric hypercar. It broke the record at the Goodwood Festival of Speed hillclimb in 2022 with a 39.08-second run, as Fox News reported. McMurtry also says it broke the Top Gear Test Track record by 3.1 seconds, as Top Gear and other outlets reported in 2025.
The company plans to build 100 Spéirling PURE cars for customers, with deliveries set for 2026. The Spéirling is not designed for public roads.
What has been said
McMurtry’s post, as described by NDTV, called Tesla a newcomer to a club it already belongs to. NDTV reads the message as a friendly reminder of its earlier work more than a challenge.
Musk, on X, wrote that the future does have flying cars, according to NewsX. Tesla has not publicly responded to McMurtry’s post in the reports we checked.
Why it matters
The exchange shows how much attention a single viral clip can bring. It also puts a spotlight on fan-based downforce, a technology that is rare in road cars. Tesla filed a patent for a side-skirt fan system that was reported by Electrek, according to TechRadar. This is not proof of a link to the Spéirling.
For McMurtry, the timing is useful. A tiny company with a 100-car production run has had its work mentioned alongside one of the world’s biggest car brands.
What happens next
Tesla says production of the Roadster is planned for 2028, and many of its claims have yet to be tested outside a show. McMurtry is preparing to deliver the first Spéirling PURE cars to customers. We will update this article if either company comments further.
Frequently asked questions
Did McMurtry drive upside down before Tesla?
Yes. McMurtry drove its Spéirling upside down on April 11, 2025. Tesla’s demo was on October 15, 2026.
How did McMurtry’s car stay upside down?
Its Downforce-on-Demand fans create a vacuum under the car, holding it to a surface above it even at a standstill.
How did Tesla’s Roadster do it?
It used a fan-based suction system to stay on a curved ramp, and cold-gas thrusters from SpaceX for the flip and landing.
What did McMurtry say to Tesla?
NDTV reports that its Instagram post said “Welcome to the club.”
Where did the Tesla demo take place?
At SpaceX’s test facility in McGregor, Texas.
Can you buy either car?
The McMurtry Spéirling PURE is a limited run of 100 track cars. Tesla’s Roadster is planned for production in 2028, according to reports.
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