Electric Hypercar Breaks Rimac’s Record, Now Fastest EV

Japan’s Aspark has declared its Owl SP600 electric hypercar the fastest in the world, surpassing the Rimac Nevera’s impressive 2022 record by 26.7 km/h.

“It has been about 10 years since we started working on the Owl hypercar,” said CEO Masanori Yoshida, who founded Aspark in 2005.

“We set out to create the world’s fastest accelerating car and today [June 8] with our new hypercar, the Owl SP600, we have achieved top speed world records. This technical accomplishment inspires everyone involved to pursue personal excellence and continuously challenge and expand our capabilities in the future.”

However, the Aspark Owl electric hypercar debuted in prototype form at the 2017 Frankfurt Motor Show, demonstrating a blistering acceleration from 0 to 100 km/h in 1.89 seconds by February 2018. In November 2019, Aspark revealed its price to be $3.1 million, showcasing a prototype that utilized 2,000 Nm of torque to achieve a 0-60 mph time of 1.69 seconds on race tires.

Limited Production and Global Sales

Aspark collaborated with boutique manufacturer Manifattura Automobili Torino to produce only 50 units in Italy. Aspark opened its first official showroom in Osaka, Japan, and announced sales for North America and Europe in December 2020.

Moreover, key specifications for the production model include 1,456 kW (1,953 hp) from four motors, delivering 4,600 Nm of torque to each rear wheel and 2,120 Nm to each front wheel, enabling a 0-100 km/h acceleration in 1.78 seconds and a top speed of 413 km/h (256.6 mph).

The 69 kWh Li-ion battery pack offers a range of 400 km (248.5 miles) per charge.

Innovative Design and Performance Features

The Owl is also remarkably low, standing at just 910 mm tall, and rides on substantial Michelin tires – 265/35 ZR20 at the front and 325/30 ZR21 at the rear. It features 200-kW/800-V fast charging capability, double wishbone suspension with active ride height control, and Sicom disc brakes.

The Owl flew to the UK last year and set two Guinness World Records at Elvington Airfield in Yorkshire – for the fastest eighth-mile and fastest quarter-mile by an electric vehicle. Most recently, the Owl made an appearance at the Amelia Concours d’Elegance in the US and subsequently featured at Miami Supercar Rooms for exclusive sales discussions by appointment.

However, the record-breaking Owl this month is actually a production-intent prototype of a new variant called the SP600. Manifattura Automobili Torino (MAT) is again handling the development and construction of the vehicle, in collaboration with Bridgestone for custom Potenza Race tires.

Development and Testing of the Owl SP600 Prototype

Beyond stating that the prototype underwent “a full set of virtual and physical tests” along with wind tunnel validation, the partners have not provided additional details about the Owl SP600, which they describe as “an evolution of the original Aspark Owl, developed specifically for achieving top speed.”

Marc Basseng, a Nürburgring 24h winner, was behind the wheel for the record-breaking 438.7 km/h (272.595 mph) run at Automotive Testing Papenburg in Germany, on the second attempt of the day.

To conclude, this speed surpasses the Rimac Nevera’s record on the same track by 26.7 km/h, verified using the same GPS-based Racelogic V-Box measurement device. While Aspark’s achievement is remarkable, given the Nevera’s competitive nature, it’s likely that Mate Rimac will soon attempt to reclaim the record.

Read the original article on: New Atlas

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