The 1,000 hp value seems to be the mark each supercar manufacturer in the world is looking to cross. And each time a new exclusive brand shows up, their main highlight is a car that want to compete the current king, the Bugatti Veyron. This time, the carmaker comes from France and their creation brings more than 1,000 hp to the fight: meet the Genty Akylone, a supercar ready to go into production after a development time of four years. According to the French company, a team of specialists from different domains gathered to create the ultimate sports car.
Design wise, we can’t say we’re really surprised by the Genty Akylone, but we do like the classic GT look of the car. Unfortunately, the design was heavily influenced by other parts of the car and the Cx aerodynamic coefficient is not exactly low, 0.35. The layout is also classic: center mounted engine, rear wheel drive and very dynamic profile. However, we do notice the rear part of the supercar being inspired by the new McLaren MP4-12C (even though the styling is quite different, the similarity to the British supercar is noticed in the exhaust system’s tailpipes and the taillights).
In what concerns the powertrain, the French carmaker didn’t went with electric or hybrid powertrains like we saw some other small carmakers do, instead they used a 4.8-liter V-8 fitted with twin turbochargers, so that the maximum power output is over 1,000 hp, while peak torque is 1,200 Nm at just 3,000 rpm.
The transmission is a seven speed sequential gearbox and the car is also equipped with a limited slip differential. And the estimated performance numbers are extremely impressive: 0 to 100 km/h (62 mph) in 2.7 seconds, 0 to 200 km/h (124 mph) in 7.2 seconds, 0 to 300 km/h (186 mph), while the top speed is 350 km/h (217.47 mph).
The press release also mentions a great power to weight ratio for the Genty Akylone, of 2.42 pounds (1.1 kg) per hp, possible thanks to the monobloc chassis made from carbon fiber and aluminum, the total weight being only 1,100 kg (2,425 pounds). The weight distribution is almost perfect on the two axles, 42 percent on the front and 58 percent on the rear.
But while the numbers do look great, like most small carmakers out there, we have no idea so far whether they have the financial and logistic power to really put this car into production, especially with the French company not releasing any details on the production run or the estimated pricing. So right now we have no reason why Bugatti should be concerned in anyway, the Veyron’s supremacy is safe.