When it comes to kids, the term hypermania has certain negative connotations, like it’ll keep the parents way busy. But when it comes to cars, well, that’s another story.
Bobby Nitro noticed the launch of not one but two hypercars this month, which pressed down hard on his fantasy button. So, let’s indulge for a moment, before climbing into the trusty Toyota to fetch those mal children.
Team Tushek, a supercar maker founded by Slovenian race car driver Aljosa Tushek, has just released what can be safely called a Very Fast Car. The Team Tushek TS 900 Apex is a superlight hypercar featuring a rear-mounted 4.2-litre petrol V8, paired with electric motors on the front wheels. Together they produce a serious 708kW.
FAST: 0-100km/h in 2.5seconds. Photo: Supplied.
There’s no shortage of hugely entertaining power here, and the Apex goes from zero to 100km/h in 2.5 seconds, and the team reckons on a top speed of 380km/h. That’s 0.3 seconds faster than the Mclaren Senna.
The secret is in the frame though, in somewhat of a tribute to Lotus founder Colin Chapman’s philosophy of reducing weight to add speed. Made of chrome-moly and carbon fibre, the spaceframe weighs in at 1410kg in a serious claim for the world’s lightest hypercar. It boasts scissor doors (true to hypercar standards) that permit entry for two nut speedfreaks. Oh, and there’s a removable hardtop for additional fear points, and to get the most audio pleasure out of that V8. Add to this the race car suspension, Brembo brakes and Pirelli Trofeo R tyres.
POWER: Huayra posts 590kW. Photo: Supplied.
Tushek says: “Over the past years we have intensively developed and constructed advanced technological solutions for our new model, the TS 900 H APEX, in particular in the area of electric drive train. Those developments are now incorporated in our latest model and have been successfully tested in race-track conditions over the past months."
PRICEY: Pagani Huayra costs a cool R39 million. Photo: Supplied.
Further West, in Italy, Pagani was not to be outdone. The hypercar specialist has just unleashed the roadster version of its most potent creation ever, the Huayra roadster BC. It’s a very different machine to the Zonda.
Ludicrous performance comes from a six-litre twin-turbo V12 developed by Mercedes-AMG. They are certainly taking no chances on power there, as Pagani quotes outputs of 590kW. This is a smaller engine to the Zonda, and the gearbox tasked with bringing this power to the road is an old-school automated manual, which prioritises lightness over shift speeds.
NOT TO BE OUTDONE: Pagani Huayra roadster. Photo: Supplied.
There’s minimal weight to drive here at 1250kg, with the monocoque structure made from Pagani’s clever carbotanium, a weaved combo of carbon fibre and titanium. Super strong, super light.
For lekker gadgets, there are four pop-up flaps that splice into the airstream as you brake and help to push the car onto the road. We love gadgets like those.
With the Zonda being a jaw-dropper, Pagani was hard put to follow and opted for the ethos of ‘more’ with the Huayra. More power, more torque, more luxury, more money, just more.
With retuned racecar suspension, to accommodate for the lightness, the car is described by Pagani as “Extreme, exuberant and shaped by hand in line with the fundamental concepts of Leonardo da Vinci’s Art and Science.”
CLASS: Apex is a 4.2l petrol V8. Photo: Supplied.
The vehicle is definitely more curvaceous, outrageous and with a threatening front bumper. Just 40 of these will be made, and they’re sold already, for a cool R39 million apiece.
Pagani says: “From the aerodynamics to its exterior and interior design, and right down to its tiniest part, Roadster BC’s chemistry and combination of advanced composite materials are unprecedented.”