Next month’s Salon Prive will play host to two hybrid supercar introductions from a couple of brands you’ve probably never heard of. But before you turn your nose up at the prospect of more pie in the sky newcomers pledging to take on the establishment, know that these electrified V8 models do at least come with some pretty compelling specifications – including a couple of near-1,000hp outputs – and one rather bold claim for being the world’s lightest hypercar.
Take the Puritalia Berlinetta, an Italian creation (obvs) that uses a 965hp and 920lb ft-producing powertrain, for example. The oily bits are made up of a front-mounted V8 and rear axial flux electric unit (an ultra-potent new form of motor), the setup is then mounted to a carbon tub that’s housed within an aluminium subframe. It’s all wrapped in a pre-preg carbon fibre skin of pretty two-door form and the accompanying numbers are certainly fitting. Puritalia says the Berlinetta will complete the 0-60mph dash in 2.7 seconds and keep on going until 208mph. Bold.
Yet it’s the Tushek TS 900 that comes in with the most significant claims, because this Slovenian machine weighs just 1,410kg, making it – according to the company – the lightest hypercar on the road. This comes despite the use of a rear-mounted 4.2-litre V8 and twin electric motors, which combine to produce 950hp and 1,033lb ft of twist. The firm claims the car has a 2.5 second 0-60mph time and 236mph top speed, which admittedly don’t seem far-fetched given the 674hp per tonne on offer.
Beneath the TS 900’s pre-preg skin is a chromium-molybdenum (an ultra-rigid and light form of alloy steel) spaceframe, with a chassis setup that’s been overseen by firm founder and former Citroen touring car racer, Aljosa Tushek, so it can supposedly handle track work as well as road use. It all sounds rather impressive, but we’ll of course have to take Tushek’s word for it all because, like the 150-run Berlinetta, the TS 900 is expected to be of ultra-low volume.
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