McMurtry doubles ‘radical’ electric car startup’s team
Renishaw co-founder’s new firm now boasts a staff of 18 people, writes John Reynolds
BILLIONAIRE inventor and Renishaw co-founder David McMurtry has doubled his electric car startup’s team to 18 recruits, as a UK company filing reveals the project has absorbed more than €2.5m of funding.
Details concerning McMurtry Automotive, seen by the Sunday Independent, reveal that what has been until now a secretive project is under way in a building beside the Dubliner’s €34m eco-house.
The firm’s 18 engineers, designers, technicians and other staff, many of whom are in their 20s, have worked for the likes of Dyson, the Williams and McLaren Formula One motor racing teams, Jaguar Land Rover, and Mercedes’ high-performance AMG division.
Staff and new recruits can enjoy “access to an on-site squash court, swimming pool, lunchtime table football and Fifa tournaments... in beautiful countryside on the edge of the Cotswolds”, according to a recent job advert. “Company socials, such as go-karting, clay pigeon shooting, bowling and meals out, are organised regularly.”
The venture — in which McMurtry has a stake of at least 75pc and began working on in his spare time in 2016 — is an “exciting new project to deliver a radical, high-performance electric vehicle and [related] new technologies”, it said.
Meanwhile, a planning cover letter stated that the car would be suited to “short-range commuting purposes”. It aims “to go from concept to demonstrator vehicle and then low-volume production, all in a short space of time”.
McMurtry, who turns 80 in March, is a car enthusiast and, having emigrated from Clontarf, began his career at Rolls-Royce, where he was once a troubleshooter on the Concorde supersonic plane engine.
He has a keen interest in research and development, inventing, and working with young engineers and designers.
It is possible that the ‘radical’ element of his startup’s car might include the use of lightweight materials and innovative new components. He said last year he and his team were “trying to do something no one else had thought of ”.
McMurtry Automotive is a private endeavour of his, and not connected with Renishaw’s business, a spokesman said.
In November, McMurtry was awarded the James Watt International Gold Medal, the highest honour in mechanical engineering, by the UK’s Institution of Mechanical Engineers.
Established in 1936 to commemorate the bicentenary of the birth of steam engine inventor James Watt, it is awarded every two years to an engineer who has achieved worldwide recognition for their work. Previous winners include car maker Henry Ford.
On Thursday, Renishaw, the London-listed precision engineering firm in which McMurtry has a €1.17bn stake, is expected to reveal downbeat half-year results. Cost reductions are under way and a site has been closed, with 22 staff laid off last year.