British supercar manufacturer Ariel has revealed the electric ‘Hipercar’.
The Ariel Hipercar features four motors that produce 1,180bhp and a turbine range extender and should give most hypercars a run for their money when it arrives on the road in 2024.
Unlike Ariel’s previous offerings that featured naked tubular frames allowing owners to view the intricate details of thier cars, the new Hipercar (the production car will sport a different name) is a proper coupe. As for that name, it is a contraction for ‘High Performance Carbon Reduction’.
Powering the Hipercar are 4 Equipmake APLM200 electric motors that draw juice from a Cosworth sourced 62kWh battery pack that allows for a range of 241.4km (150 miles). Each of these motors powers an individual wheel of the electric Hipercar with each unit producing 295bhp.
Ariel will also sell a version of the Hipercar in a rear-wheel drive config with power topping out at 590bhp. In the properly mental, all-wheel drive setup the Hipercar produces 1180bhp and 1,800Nm of peak torque.
The Ariel Hipercar also features a Cosworth sourced micro turbine range extender that runs at 120,000rpm and produces 35kW (46.9bhp) to keep the battery pack topped up. The micro turbine runs on petrol and can also run on other fuels in the future.
Ariel claims that the Hipercar will sprint from 0 to 60 miles/hour (96.5km/h) in 2.09 seconds while 0 to 100 miles/hour (161km/h) takes 4.4 seconds. The Hipercar sprints from 60 to 120 miles/hour (96.5 to 193.1km/h) in just 3.51 seconds and has a top speed of 250km/h.
The Ariel Hipercar suspension setup consists of machined aluminium double wishbones at both the front and the rear. The Hipercar features adjustable Bilstein dampers (that can be adjusted for both rebound and compression) and adjustable anti roll bars.
Braking duties are handled by AP racing discs with six piston callipers at the front and four at the rear. The front discs are 370mm in diameter while the rear units measure 328mm. The braking system is aided by the regenerative braking system which can be turned off.
The Ariel Hipercar rides on 20 inch wheels at the front and 21-inch units at the rear that are shod with Michelin Cup 2 tyres measuring 265/35×20 on the front, 325/30×21 on the rear. Owners can also opt for even stickier Cup 2 R tyres. The final production car will feature carbon fibre wheels.
Other features on the Hipercar include an array of wings, fins and other aero bits to ensure the Hipercar generates the necessary downforce required to keep itself glued to the road along and butterfly doors for those looking for that extra special hypercar feel.
Thoughts About The Ariel Hipercar
The Ariel Hipercar sees the small british firm head into the world of EVs with a closed off coupe. WHile the new Hipercar may not be able to tear your face off like the Atom, it sure will keep other hypercar owners on theit toes as you hunt them down in this quad motor track monster.