The switch to electric powertrains has seen a sudden leap in the power and torque available to propel cars. Unlike internal combustion engines, electric motors generate power in an entirely different way, with a huge amount of peak torque available from almost standstill.
So impressive new performance numbers are beginning to appear and new records are being set by this new generation of cars. Every month, some company will announce a sub-5-second time and sometimes it is recognised as a world record as well.
Pininfarina’s Battista electric hypercar, the most powerful car designed and built in Italy, has an output of 1,900 ps/2,340 Nm and it has achieved sizzling times for 4 different acceleration runs. They were 0 – 60 mph in 1.79 seconds; 0 – 100 km/h in 1.86 seconds, 0 – 120 mph in 4.49 seconds; and 0 – 200 km/h in 4.79 seconds.
Besides a dominant 1-2 victory in the 8 Hours of Bahrain, final round of the 2022 World Endurance Championship (WEC), as well as securing a clean sweep of titles, TOYOTA GAZOO Racing also made history by taking a historic Hypercar title double.
Outgoing World Champions Mike Conway, Kamui Kobayashi and Jose Maria Lopez took a hard-earned win, their second of the season in their #7 GR010 HYBRID, to confirm the as Hypercar manufacturers’ World Champions.
Sebastien Buemi, Brendon Hartley and Ryo Hirakawa, in the #8 GR010 HYBRID, had started the weekend level on points with their Alpine title rivals. but finished second to become Drivers’ World Champions, adding to their 2022 Le Mans 24 Hours win.
Mercedes-AMG is the first car manufacturer to run a production hypercar on Nurburgring Nordschleife – and it has also set official records there to become the absolute fastest road-legal car on the circuit.
The record-breaking drives were set on October 28 in conditions that did not look suited to set sizzling times. But it was on the last attempt of the day, as conditions improved, that racing driver and AMG brand ambassador Maro Engel clocked his best lap time to set the new official record of 6:35.183 minutes. Engel’s run was just in time as about a minute after completion, it was the official closure time for the track.
After making its competitive debut in the World Endurance Championship (WEC) with the new Peugeot 9X8 at the Monza round in Italy two months ago, the Team Peugeot TotalEnergies is in Japan this week for a second 6-hour showdown. Two units of the new Le Mans Hypercar (LMH) will race at the Fuji Speedway this weekend to collect more information in racing conditions.
Commenting on the first race in Italy, Peugeot Sport Technical Director Olivier Jansonnie, said: “We needed that first race. We had achieved as much as we could in testing so, in order to ramp up our preparations and development, it was time to pitch ourselves directly against our opposition in a true race-weekend environment.”
Encouraged by the potential of a car whose homologation is now fixed (meaning that any further modifications will be strictly limited and regulated), the two driving crews were able to acclimatise to racing in traffic and compare the 9X8 to the championship’s other hypercars.
“We collected a great deal of information about the car and team. We also ran into a few problems that we hadn’t previously encountered in testing, some of which we were able to rectify on-site, others that we have been continuing to work on since Monza. This is a tried-and-tested process in motorsport,” Jansonnie explained.
“At this early stage, it should be noted that we are concentrating more on reliability and performance than on refining race strategies. That is perfectly normal for such a new project, up against rivals with – in some cases – more than 10 years of experience in the sport. We are all fiercely competitive here at Team Peugeot TotalEnergies and we recognise that both the car and team have scope for significant improvement, but we have yet to come across any issues that we cannot resolve, so that’s very positive,” he said.
Disappointed that the team was not able to take full advantage of the 10-minute qualifying session in Italy to properly demonstrate the 9X8’s potential, Jansonnie has since gone into even greater detail with his team in order to optimise its work on the car with the clock ticking down. It focused particularly hard on this aspect during two private tests carried out between Monza and Fuji.
“In Japan, we will be discovering the circuit for the first time, so we need to make sure we maximise every on-track session from Friday morning through to Sunday afternoon,” he stressed.
Preparing for Fuji’s challenges The 6 Hours of Fuji – Round 5 of the 2022 WEC – poses an altogether different challenge to Monza in a number of ways. Jansonnie and his team realise this, particularly as it is held halfway around the world. “For long-haul events like this, we need to adapt our procedures because we do not have the same regular facilities at our disposal – like motorhomes and trucks – as we do when we race in Europe,” he said.
The circuit and region’s unpredictable weather – with heavy and prolonged downpours likely – represent further unknowns for the team, although not for the whole team. Its drivers like Jean-Eric Vergne and Gustavo Menezes have raced at Fuji in the past, while Loic Duval and James Rossiter spent a part of their career based in Japan. The benefits of that experience will complement the data already acquired by the crews and their engineers from their work in the 9X8 simulator as they endeavour to prepare as well as possible for the unique demands of this iconic Japanese track.
The 4.563-km Fuji Speedway where the fifth round of the 2022 World Endurance Championship will be held. It was opened in December 1965 and has been owned by Toyota Motor Corporation since 2000.
“Monza could have gone better for us, but that was entirely to be expected at such an early stage of an ambitious project like this. Our car [#93] ran into problems in the race that led to our retirement. During the run that I completed in free practice, though, we were close to the Toyota in terms of pure pace, which proves that we are in the right ballpark with this non-conventional car. I’m completely convinced about that. Our first race was another significant milestone on this exciting journey and now, for Fuji, the goalposts shift again. But that’s what keeps the adrenalin flowing!” said Vergne who will share the racing car with Paul di Resta and Mikkel Jensen.
New era in endurance racing The 9X8 starts a new era for Peugeot in endurance racing, the motorsport category where it was previously victorious with the 905 and 908 in the 1990s and in 2009. Conforming to the regulations that govern the ACO and FIA’s new Le Mans Hypercar (LMH) category, the 4 wheel-drive racing prototype has a 2.6-litre bi-turbo V6 engine powering the rear wheels and a 200 kW electric motor driving the front wheels.
Inside the Peugeot 9X8.
The racing car, without a rear wing, measures 4.995 metres in length, has a width of 2 metres and is just 1.145 metres tall. With lots of lightweight materials in its bodywork, it weighs 1,030 kgs and its tank holds up to 90 litres of TotalEnergies’ 100% renewable Excellium Racing 100 fuel.
The completion of vital development and testing phases, necessary to achieving reliability and performance for the 9X8, led to its competitive debut being delayed until after the 2022 Le Mans 24 Hours. Its first entry in the WEC was thus at the 6 Hours of Monza on July 10 and this weekend, it will be at the Fuji Speedway.
Well over 40% of all Bugatti vehicles ever created have been open-top in design but in the Chiron era, a roadster was never offered. Therefore, as a farewell to the legendary W16 powerplant, Bugatti decided to create a roadster which it has named the W16 Mistral.
“The introduction of the W16 Mistral continues the legacy, and also opens the next chapter in the Bugatti roadster story, inspired by over a century of open-top legends,” said Mate Rimac, CEO of Bugatti Rimac.
Being a very special Chiron, much consideration went into the name it should have. Inspiration came from the mistral, a powerful wind that blows from the Rhone River valley, through the chic towns of the Cote d’Azur in southern France and into the Mediterranean.
Built around the 1,600 ps W16 engine, first used in the Chiron Super Sport 300+, the W16 Mistral offers superlative performance unlike any open-top car. Its design and engineering is completely bespoke. The existing monocoque is not simply cut off above the A-pillars to make way for the new open-top design but has been reengineered and reshaped to create a more rounded silhouette without compromising performance.
“We know the W16 Mistral will always have significance in the story of Bugatti, marking the last time that perhaps the greatest ever automotive powertrain is used in a roadgoing production car. We, as a design team, felt enormous pressure to deliver styling that immediately conveyed this landmark moment, drawing inspiration from some of the most beautiful roadsters in Bugatti history,” said Achim Anscheidt, Bugatti’s Design Director.
As they considered the project, they looked at the 1934 Bugatti Type 57 Roadster Grand Raid (pictured above), a sporting roadster that represented the pinnacle of elegant design. Marked out by its dual aerodynamic headrests, flowing backwards into the bodywork, and a cut down V-shaped windscreen, this particular Grand Raid was effortlessly sophisticated with an understated sportiness. Finished in a duo-tone black and yellow livery, it would provide the perfect inspiration for this watershed moment in the Bugatti story.
The W16 Mistral has colours inspired by the Type 57 Roadster Grand Raid. A warm black with hints of truffle brown and subtle yellow accents can be seen throughout. Not only is it homage to the iconic coachbuilt body, but also to Ettore Bugatti, who chose the black and yellow combination for many of his personal cars.
The open-top hypercar also captures the essence of the Grand Raid’s V-shaped windscreen and evolves it into a modern-day work of art. A curving windscreen that seemingly wraps around the A-pillars, blending seamlessly into the side windows and creating a ‘visor’ effect that hints at the motorsport levels of performance available. The windscreen itself is a marvel of engineering, curved just enough to create the rounded visor design, without distorting the driver’s vision.
The top line of the windscreen and side windows flows purposefully around the side air intakes. This character line then flows back underneath the side glass to shoot through all the way to the front horseshoe grill creating a new three-dimensional character for the famous Bugatti C-line introduced on Chiron.
To keep the body side section slim, but also allow for optimum airflow to the W16, the oil cooler intakes on the side were deliberately separated from the engine air intakes, which now sit on the roof, just behind the occupants.
The two-new roof-mounted engine air scoops also reference the Type 57 Roadster Grand Raid, as well as the first open top Bugatti of the modern era: the Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport. Tighter, more powerful and appearing to leap forwards, the W16 Mistral exhibits an entirely different character.
“To reflect the W16 Mistral’s new character, we also totally reinvented its frontal appearance, in line with the vertical layout of our unique or few-off models like Divo and La Voiture Noire. It’s immediately imbued with a sense of exclusivity; the vertically stacked headlights are completely bespoke and the famous horseshoe grille is reimagined to be much more three-dimensional; both deeper and wider. At the rear, we challenged ourselves to create a striking but also more elegant iteration of Bolide’s X-theme taillight motif, which forever left its mark on the world of automotive design,” Anscheidt explained.
The headlights themselves are intricately shaped, incorporating a 4-light signature that subtly nods to the W16 Mistral’s 4-wheel-drive and 4 turbochargers. But their 3-dimensional surface also functions as an aerodynamic aid that funnels air through the light and out through the wheelarch to improve aerodynamic drag. The wider horseshoe grille allows the high temperature engine radiator to be fully fed purely from one intake, leaving the two side intakes to focus only on providing air to the intercoolers.
The X-taillight, meanwhile, serves the function of venting the side oil coolers through ducts connecting the triangular negative space in between the X beams to the side radiators. Therefore, a pressure drop is created between the side intakes and the outlets at the back, which helps to manage the mid-temperature cooling circuit of the engine most effectively.
Other engineering innovations can be seen in Bugatti’s advanced composite materials are paired with cutting-edge titanium and aluminium 3D-printing for the striking design. A detailed analysis of the W16 Mistral’s dynamic stiffness allowed engineers to develop lightweight solutions that would ensure optimum handling and performance under the most extreme conditions.
The interior follows that in the Chiron, providing an experience that’s both elegant and luxurious, but also functional enough to ensure all information is easily visible at up to 420 km/h. The dedication to material quality remains a hallmark of Bugatti design, with advanced, lightweight titanium, aluminium components milled from a solid block and soft, blemish-free leathers.
An intricate woven leather is used on newly designed door panels, meticulously tested and produced to Bugatti quality standards that envision regular use for over a hundred years into the future. The gear shifter – machined from a solid block of aluminium – features a touch of wood and an amber insert with Rembrandt Bugatti’s famous ‘dancing elephant’ sculpture locked within.
When Bugatti’s last roadster, the Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport Vitesse, set a world speed record of 408.84 km/h in 2013, its 8-litre quad-turbo W16 had 1,200 ps. The W16 Mistral has 1,600ps, making use of the same power unit that propelled the Chiron Super Sport 300+ to a world-record-breaking speed of 490.7 km/h in 2019.
“The union of a roadster format and our W16 powertrain is absolute perfection. With the roof removed, and a pair of large air intakes directly behind your head feeding around 70,000 litres of air through the engine every minute at full bore, driving the W16 Mistral connects you to the intricate workings of this revolutionary powertrain like no other Bugatti to date,” declared Rimac.
Only 99 units of the W16 Mistral will be built, each with an ex-factory pricetag of 5 million euros (about RM22.4 million). Orders are no longer accepted as the entire production run has already been taken, with first deliveries due to being in 2024.
In 2016, Bugatti captured the record for the world’s fastest roadster when its Veyron Grand Sport Vitesse reached a speed of 408.84 km/h. Then Hennessey, the American high-performance manufacturer, came out with its Venom GT Spyder which clocked 265.6 mph or 427.62 km/h to claim the title of fastest convertible which it still holds.
Now Hennessey is aiming to push the envelope further by offering an even faster roadster – the new Venom F5 Roadster. This is a continuation from the premiere of last year’s sold-out Venom F5 Coupe and will have a price starting from US$3 million (about RM13.43 million) for each of the 30 units to be built.
To claim the new title, the Venom F5 Roadster will have hypercar performance and is targeted to exceed 480 km/h. This will be achieved with the mid-mounted 6.6-litre Fury V8 engine which can produce up to 1,817 bhp and send it to the rear wheels through a robust automated single-clutch gearbox.
“We created the Venom F5 to be the ultimate expression of a hypercar. The Roadster version takes the Coupe’s speed, exhilaration, and awe, plus a sprinkling of respect-inducing fear, to a new, truly visceral level that brings owners closer to the Venom F5’s extreme performance.” Said John Hennessey, company founder and CEO.
The most conspicuous design feature of the Venom F4 is the new roofline. In contrast to the F5 Coupe, the F5 Roadster’s roof has been re-engineered with an 8-kg removable panel crafted from rigid carbonfibre composites. The weatherproof panel is secured with 4 quick-release bolts and a pair of high-strength latches to withstand the Hennessey hypercar’s staggering acceleration capabilities and aerodynamic forces at extreme speed.
Owners may choose to store the panel in a bespoke Merino wool travel bag or as a standalone work-of-art on a custom-made, sculptural pedestal. The roof pedestal, crafted in carbonfibre like the roof panel, mirrors design themes from the Venom F5 Roadster. Viewed from above, its ‘blade legs’ trace the shape of the car’s rear decklid, while the side profile uses the hypercar’s bodyside air intake form for inspiration.
The Venom F5 Roadster features a new tempered glass engine viewing window. This panel, in the middle of the rear engine cover, spotlights the massive V8 engine. Its development was no simple task as the Hennessey engineers had to make it good enough to be certified for use in jet aircraft. The sizeable glass panel can withstand aerodynamic forces exceeding 480 km/h and temperatures beyond 540 degrees C.
The Roadster is further distinguished from its coupe sibling by its unique wheels. Forged from aluminium alloy and then milled to perfection, the lightweight wheels have 7 pairs of spokes, each resembling an elongated Hennessey ‘H’. The wheels are secured with 5 titanium nuts with high strength, heat tolerance, corrosion resistance, and extremely low mass.
Engineered by Hennessey from the outset with an open-top version in mind, so only minor adjustments were required to deliver coupe-rivaling chassis rigidity, strength, and stiffness. It will be built in Texas starting towards the end of this year, with validation of the model’s high-speed capabilities set to occur as the production rate levels out.
With Rimac now having a majority share of Bugatti (along with Porsche as another shareholder), it remains to be seen if Bugatti will want to reclaim the title in future.
The McLaren Solus GT was born in the virtual gaming world of Gran Turismo SPORT. Now, the carmaker will make it a reality that can be driven on racetracks. Only 25 will be built and all of them have already been sold before the official unveiling in California yesterday. The pricing of the hypercar has not been revealed although it can be expected to be many, many millions of ringgit.
The striking futuristic exterior design is remarkably faithful to its virtual inspiration. While machines in simulator games have total technical freedom because the designers are not constrained by cost or regulations, the Solus GT is based on proven aerodynamic principles and McLaren’s ‘everything for a reason’ design ethos. This is further supported by CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics) and wind-tunnel aerodynamic research.
Among the numerous external features are the sliding canopy above the single central (like a jet fighter) and wheels are shrouded in aerodynamic pods and located by suspension arms. A large front splitter feeds air into ground-effect tunnels before it exits the car via a full diffuser. A motorsport-inspired intake above the cockpit integrated into the design of the roll-over hoop cover feeds cold air into the engine. The sidepods which house the Solus GT’s radiators are inspired by racing car design.
A twin-element, fixed rear wing is key to a downforce figure (over 1,202 kgs) that exceeds the overall weight of the hypercar (1,002 kgs). The downforce to drag ratio is also optimized, aiding straight-line performance as well as enhancing cornering abilities.
In common with every McLaren since 1981, the Solus GT is based around a carbonfibre monocoque, in this case one created using specialist low-volume production methods. The front and rear chassis structures are also made from carbonfibre, with the engine and gearbox forming the rest of the chassis.
Carbonfibre is not the only high-value material in the hypercar. Further embracing technologies used in the top tiers of motorsport, 3D-printed titanium components have been used for the halo cockpit protection structure and roll hoop. This is the first time the approach has been adopted for structural elements in a McLaren production car, allowing a tailored design as well reducing weight.
The powertrain is a naturally-aspirated 5.2-litre V10 engine with a bespoke 7-speed sequential shift gearbox. It can rev to more than 10,000 rpm and will produce over 829 bhp/650 Nm. The engine’s responsiveness is enhanced by the use of barrel-driven throttles for each cylinder – a system only suitable for track application – and is entirely gear-driven, with no chains or belts for camshaft or ancillary systems.
The engine was also chosen for its structural qualities; for the first time in a McLaren production car, the engine is an integral part of the chassis. Conventional practice in race car construction, this design approach optimizes weight reduction by negating the need for additional chassis structures or subframes behind the carbonfibre monocoque.
The race-derived 7-speed sequential gearbox, which features a bespoke casting and casing – the latter manufactured from aluminium with magnesium panels – is mounted to the back of the engine with the rear suspension fixed to the gearbox casing. The system is fully automated and software controlled, removing the need for the driver to operate the clutch, aiding pit-lane pull-away.
McLaren says the Solus GT will be capable of the fastest lap times of any McLaren outside of single-seater racing and delivers a driving experience close to the engagement and sensation of driving a Formula 1 racing car. Acceleration from 0 – 100 km/h has a target time of 2.5 seconds and the top speed will be more than 320 km/h.
In the cockpit, the steering wheel (with a unique design among McLaren production cars) takes its inspiration from Formula 1, with instrument panel display and essential controls integrated to suit the tight confines of a single-seater track car. Beyond the steering wheel is a view through the glass ‘bubble’, with integrated halo-style cockpit protection.
The perfectly symmetrical 180-degree line of sight provided by the central driving position is further aided by the dramatically styled wheel pods in helping the driver to position the hypercar on a track. Above the driver’s head are switches for engine ignition and the fully plumbed-in emergency fire extinguisher.
This area also houses the rearview display, streamed in real-time from a camera located on the roll hoop behind the driver’s head. The wide-angle camera provides a comprehensive rear view of the track to allow traffic to pass on a slowing-down lap or aid pit-lane maneuvering.
To further enhance the driving experience for Solus GT owners, McLaren is offering a full ‘racing driver experience’. This includes a driving seat molded to the driver’s individual body shape; an FIA-homologated race suit, helmet and HANS device bespoke to each owner, and radio-enabled ear inserts.
All owners will get a flight case to allow them to support their own track activities. This includes a comprehensive set of tools, vehicle jacks, stands, radio sets and a coolant pre-heater. After the cars are delivered next year, Solus GT track events are planned and a full driver-development coaching program will also be available to help owners fully exploit the potential of their new hypercar.
New Zealand may be some distance ‘down under’ from the rest of the world, but the country does not lack expertise when it comes to high performance machinery. Rodin Cars, one of the performance car manufacturers there, has announced its plan to produce the FZERO as the world’s fastest track car. It will be engineered to lap a circuit faster than a current Grand Prix Formula 1 racer.
The FZERO, revealed 3 years ago, is a follow-up to the FZED, which provided the same sort of experience behind the wheel of a modern Formula 1 car. With the FZERO, Rodin Car can aim for the ultimate in track performance as it is designed without the restrictions of road laws or motorsport regulations. Thus it can be developed right to the edge of the performance to reach a top speed targeted to be 360 km/h.
“The Rodin FZERO is the physical representation of the ultimate heights in vehicle performance. Without the restrictions of building to a set of rules, we are able to make the car lighter, more powerful, and produce significantly more downforce. The only real restrictions we face are the laws of physics, and we have even pushed those to the absolute limit. We look forward to bringing the most intense driving experience conceivable to tracks around the world,” said David Dicker, Founder of Rodin Cars.
Based in New Zealand, Dicker has developed Rodin Cars from scratch in to possibly the most unique and technically advanced vehicle manufacturing facility in the world. Located on a remote 550-hectare property in the South Island, the site includes world-leading 3D printing resources and 3 test tracks.
The FZERO will be use a hybrid powerplant consisting of a 4-litre V10 twin-turbo engine and a 130-kW electric power unit. At just 132 kgs, the 1,176 ps/1,026 Nm engine named ‘RCTEN’ is designed to be the lightest and most compact V10 ever built, it is claimed.
Designed and developed in-house in conjunction with engine manufacturer Neil Brown Engineering, the RCTEN can spin all the way to 10,000 rpm. A bespoke gearbox unit manufactured in conjunction with Ricardo UK has 8 gears and adds less than 66 kgs. The gearbox is encased in a titanium 3D-rinted case, printed on site in Rodin Cars’ state-of-the-art 3D printing facility. The differential is hydraulic, and computer-controlled.
As the car is made to clock super-quick lap times, the emphasis of the FZERO is on weight and airflow aerodynamics. The chassis is constructed from entirely of carbonfibre composite, with all components manufactured on site.
The massive wings and floor are capable of producing up to 4000 kgs of downforce which. when compared to the cars weight of just 698 kgs, is impressive.
The low weight is helpful when it comes to stopping but given the very high speeds the car can travel at, stopping power has still to be powerful. To ensure this, there are front and rear 380 mm PFC Carbon-Carbon brakes, with Titanium calipers (6-piston front and 4-piston rear. The brakes also have regenerative capability to capture energy that would otherwise be wasted away during braking.
One of the three test tracks at the Rodin Cars site in New Zealand’s South Island.
The FZERO will be available to customers in a configuration of their choice, allowing them to customize specific aspects of the car based on their driving style and the track on which they will be using it. In addition, owners receive access to custom racewear services, vehicle storage and delivery, and full driver training at Rodin’s picturesque private racetracks.
27 Rodin FZEROs, each to be priced from £1.8 million (about RM9.71 million), will be offered available to buyers worldwide, with the first coming off the assembly line in the middle of 2023.
After completing car ‘#000’ – the first Rimac Nevera EV hypercar – and running it at the Goodwood Festival of Speed, Rimac’s factory is now putting the finishing touches on the first batch of hypercars to go to customers worldwide. Each unit is hand-built and at maximum capacity, up to 50 cars can be produced each year.
The first 50 units of the Nevera already have customers waiting for them to be delivered by Rimac’s 25 official dealer partners in four regions. Each car takes at least 5 weeks at the final assembly line alone, while many of its parts and systems are being made months earlier at Rimac facilities.
It’s taken 5 years of development and testing to reach this stage, along with evolving 3 generations of powertrain technology, 18 prototypes, 45 physical crash tests and more than 1.6 million collective hours of research and development.
The world’s first all-electric hypercar was developed entirely from scratch, with most key systems developed and made in-house by Rimac, the 13-year old carmaker in Croatia. To achieve the extremely high-performance targets that the team has set for the Nevera, all major components had to be custom developed. An entirely new generation battery system, inverter, gearbox, motor, control systems, infotainment and many more, were developed specifically for the Nevera.
Throughout the development process, the Nevera powertrain was redesigned 3 times in a process lasting more than two years, with each version pushing the envelope of performance further than before.
The development and homologation process was also an extraordinary journey for the whole team. Starting with initial experimental prototypes, leading on to validation prototypes and then pre-series cars, no fewer than 18 prototype examples of Nevera were painstakingly tested in every conceivable environment and measurable aspect, from the freezing Arctic Circle to a high humidity 48oC climate chamber.
A rigorous 4-year crash testing program saw the destruction of 9 cars in 45 separate crash tests – all of which the Nevera passed with flying colours to ensure that owners will be well protected, should an accident occur.
The car’s name is taken from an unexpected Mediterranean summer storm off the coast of Croatia, and gives an idea of its character. It can be a comfortable grand tourer which can transform into a super-quick projectile in the next moment. Four electric motors generate a total of 1,914 ps, which can send the hypercar from standstill to 96 km/h in a claimed 1.85 seconds and to 160 km/h in just 4.3 seconds.
“The Nevera was developed with the intention to become the cutting-edge electric hypercar it is today, ready to thrill drivers and passengers in a way they have never experienced before. I’m very much looking forward to customers taking delivery of their brand-new, highly customized cars and hearing their stories of fun behind the wheel,” said Mate Rimac, CEO of the Rimac Group.
Customers have a variety of customization options available, with 36 different pre-defined paint colours and the option to go bespoke, a selection of in-house-designed liveries, 3 levels of exposed carbonfibre – including a full bare carbonfibre body – and an enormous selection of colourful leathers, Alcantara, contrasting accents and metal finishes for the interior. This will ensure that each of the 150 Neveras to be produced in total will not be the same. Incidentally, that first Nevera will remain in the possession of the company.
While the very first Nevera completed will remain with the company, the first unit delivered went to Nico Rosberg, the former F1 champion.
Red Bull Advanced Technologies (RBAT) will build and sell a hypercar which uses much of what they have learnt making and racing Red Bull Racing F1 cars. The Red Bull 17 (RB17), as the model will be known, will also use some of the technologies that have been disallowed in the sport.
It will be very exclusive, of course, and only 50 people in the world will get to own one. They will have to be very rich to afford the expected pricetag starting from £5 million (around RM26.8 million) for each car. The RB17 will be supported directly by the factory, with servicing and maintenance support tailored to each owner and their usage profile for the car.
Ownership includes more than the hypercar, bringing a close association with the Red Bull Racing team through access to simulators, vehicle program development and on-track training and experiences.
Red Bull Racing has been among the top F1 teams and has developed many advanced technologies which will be used in the hypercar.
‘RB17’ creates a direct link to the F1 cars which began ‘RB1’ in 2005 when the team entered Formula 1. It has reached ‘RB18’ in 2022 and ‘RB17’ actually was never used because last year’s racing car was designated ‘RB16B’ as it was fairly similar to the RB16.
The 2-seat RB17 will have the typical hypercar specs and a twin turbo V8 hybrid powertrain will develop over 1,100 bhp. Designed around a carbonfibre-composite tub, the RB17 features the most advanced ground effect package available in a series production car.
RBAT plans to build 15 cars a year from 2025 so new RB17s will be coming up till the end of the decade. “The RB17 marks the first time that a car wearing the Red Bull brand has been available to collectors,” said Christian Horner, CEO of Oracle Red Bull Racing and RBAT.
“The RB17 marks an important milestone in the evolution of Red Bull Advanced Technologies, now fully capable of creating and manufacturing a series production car at our Red Bull Technology Campus,” he added.
