Everyone’s heard the term “supercar.” What comes to your mind? A Lamborghini? A Ferrari? I picture a Lexus LFA or a Nissan GTR. We probably all have a gut reaction when we hear “supercar.” It’s probably something we remember from childhood, or a car you might consider if you won the lottery and didn’t want to stay rich for long. A term many people don’t have a gut reaction for is “hypercar.” What is a hypercar? Does it fly? Is it better or worse than a supercar? Is it something from Star Trek? Furthermore, why do we need them? Let’s just call it a supercar on steroids... There are plenty of supercars. Where is the line drawn? It’s subjective. There really isn’t a clear factor which separates them. In the past it has been mostly acceleration and price, but I like to think it’s more than that. While supercars usually run in the hundreds-of-thousands-of-dollars-range, hypercars are usually well over a million dollars. Hypercars are also exclusive, not only because few can afford them, but because so few are produced. They don't fly and they aren't from Star Trek. Rather, they are supercars elevated to new heights. Currently, most would agree the Ferrari LaFerrari, the McLaren P1, and the Porsche 918 Spyder are hypercars. All three of these are hybrids—meaning they have both a gasoline powered engine and some form of electric power. Hybrid, yes, but they aren’t exactly a Toyota Prius. Rather than using the electric aspect for just fuel efficiency and minimizing the use of the traditional engine… the hypercars are using the electricity to improve where the traditional engine lags, (in very layman’s terms).
We can’t discuss the future of hypercars without mentioning the past. For that, we must mention the McLaren F1. In 1998, the McLaren F1 was the fastest production car on earth at 231 mph (243 mph with rev limiter removed). Only 106 were produced in the mid to late 90s. The engine was naturally aspirated (aka, no turbo charger). As for aerodynamics… it creates less drag than the Bugatti Veyron, and the Veyron was released about a decade later.
For me, a hypercar has to have excellent aerodynamics and has to be extremely light. The entire chassis of the McLaren F1 was carbon fiber*—the first of its kind on earth for a production car. For those of you that this matters, McLaren F1: 0-60 in 3.2 seconds. 2,509lbs. 627bhp. $970,000.00 base. *(What is Carbon Fiber?) I believe that the hypercar origins belong with the McLaren F1; it still one of the most amazing production cars to date. To date.
Now, something else is coming.
It’s those plucky British again! (And I don’t mean McLaren). Aston Martin is creating something called the AM-RB 001 Sounds like a bad virus, right? Well, it's nothing like R1N1 (Swine Flu). Because that’s not its official name. This was more like a project code name that signifies the first car made between Aston Martin and Red Bull racing. The formal name will be Valkyrie. Although the Valkyrie will be released around twenty years after the McLaren F1, the ingredients in the recipe of a hypercar are surprisingly similar: astounding aerodynamics, perfect weight, and a naturally aspirated engine (no turbo). Like the McLaren, they plan to produce only about 100 cars. But there’s something special about the Aston. Like the McLaren P1, the Ferrari LaFerrari, and the Porsche 918 Spyder, the Aston engine will also be a hybrid. The future is now, folks! Our super-hyper-crazy cars are hybrids.
Here’s what we know now:
The Aston will be around $3 Million USD. Over 1,000 horsepower. V12 engine. It will weigh in at about 2,271 pounds. The materials are carbon fiber, aluminum, and titanium. It will be released in 2019. It does not have rear view mirrors. To reduce drag, it has tiny cameras that send a live feed to the driver on screens inside the car. Aston Martin has done everything possible to reduce the weight of the car. Even the usual badge placed on the hood of an Aston Martin is too heavy. In a recent press release, Aston Martin stated: “the Aston Martin Design Team came up with a chemical etched aluminium badge just 70 microns thick. That’s 30 per cent thinner than a human hair, and a remarkable 99.4 per cent lighter than the regular enamel wings badge.” This is the kind of dedication and attention to detail required to create a hypercar. Since it’s an Aston, you can bet that the charm won’t be in the specs or the numbers, but the entire feel of the car as one complete machine. As for McLaren, they want to introduce 15 new models (or variants) of the P1 by 2022, so they are by no means slowing down. Most of us will probably never even see one of these cars in person, let alone drive one. Aston Martin has only produced upwards of 88,000 individual automobiles in the 104 years since establishment. Vehicles sold by GM in 2015: 3.1 million. Not that you can easily compare the two companies.
Some people think it’s silly to be interested in supercars, hypercars, and the like ...simply because we will never own one, but it isn’t about ownership. It’s admiration and a drive to support something great—something of stature. It is about setting goals—setting a bar—and then saying, “let’s double that,” and then the guy to your left saying, “No, let’s triple that. We need to figure out how we can do that.” Within the limits of physics, creating supercars and hypercars is about exceeding goals and inspiring awe.
Sometimes, it isn’t even about making money: The Lexus LFA (2012 supercar) cost so much to produce, Lexus/Toyota lost money on every single car. ($375,000 MSRP). They sold the LFA at a negative to show the world they could make something great (and to boost marketing). Both supercars and hypercars are generally about pushing the limits, whether they are profitable or not. All of these cars usually sell out before they are built, (especially considering they are built in low numbers). We will likely never drive one of these cars. However, they set an example that can inspire us to push beyond our preconceived limitations. That's why we need hypercars. A few (new or in-development) Hypercar models:
A 40 sec introduction to the Valkyrie.
References: Aston Martin Press Release 7/10/2017 JF Musial, Joshua Vietze Dir. APEX: The Story of the Hypercar. TangentVector, Inc. 2016. Video. TopSpeed.com.McLaren F1 specs. Web.
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AuthorLiberty White Archives
November 2017
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