Ariel Has Released More Details of Its… Interesting Looking Hipercar
Image: Ariel
I’m going to be honest. I’m having a hard time starting straight at Ariel’s newest performance vehicle, the Hipercar. There’s a a lot going on. But whether or not you can swallow the styling, you can’t argue with the performance claims Ariel is making.
The Hipercar has been in the works for a while. It was first announced way back in 2017. Ariel was shouting the same performance claims then, but we didn’t know what the car actually looked like. The only thing that was shown was a rolling chassis with a roll cage and a turbine with some batteries bolted onto the back of it. Now we know what it looks like it, and it’s a lot to take in.
Image: Ariel
There are blades and wings and spoilers everywhere. Out back, it almost looks like some sort of aircraft, with SR-71 Blackbird-like wings and a single exhaust exit for its turbine range extender with four cooling fans sitting below that.
Underneath all of that busywork is a lightweight body made of an aluminum bonded chassis with front and rear aluminum subframe all wrapped around a carbon fiber body. Ariel keeps saying it’s lightweight, but they aren’t talking exact weight numbers just yet.
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Ariel says the Hipercar will be available in either rear or all-wheel drive. Power comes from a Cosworth-developed 800V 62kWh liquid-cooled battery pack. Those get paired with four Equipmake APM electric motors at each wheel. Each one develops 295 horsepower and 332 lb-ft of torque.
Ariel says it has 150 miles of range on the WLTP cycle. That’s without the optional turbine range extender, another Cosworth-developed piece of tech that Ariel says is a 35kW Catalytic Generator. With the ability to charge the Hipercar on the move, Ariel is making a big claim, saying the Hipercar with the turbine range extender will be “independent of any charging infrastructure.”
What was the thinking behind taking this picture at this location?Image: Ariel
Depending on whether you choose rear or all-wheel driver you’ll either have some serious or “holy shit” power. Two-wheel driver Hipercars will have 590 hp and 664 lb-ft of torque and all-wheel drive versions have a Bugatti rivaling 1,180 hp and 1,327 lb-ft of torque. That’s good for sub two second – to 60 mph times. Insane. If this all holds up when the car is finally released.
Ariel isn’t talking pricing or a release date just yet. But if you’re interested in reserving one, you can contact the company for further details.
