Supercars are a common sight in some parts of the Middle East, but until now, that region of the world has gone without an exotic of its own. Enter the Lykan Hypersport, an ultra-exclusive ride from Dubai-based startup W Motors. The upcoming car is said to accelerate from 0-62 mph in 2.8 seconds and offer Lamborghini-rivaling style for $3.4 million.
The Lykan Hypersport is the brainchild of Lebanese entrepreneur and designer Ralph Debbas, who began thinking up the supercar when he was an automotive design student. The wild, angular seven-figure exotic will be officially revealed to the public at the Qatar auto show, where W Motors will display a full-scale model made of carbon fiber and other lightweight materials, and built with help from specialty coachbuilder Magna Steyr Torino. The model currently lacks an interior and drivetrain, but will be powered by a midship flat-six engine from RUF, the company famous for custom Porsches. That engine is said to produce 750 hp and 738 lb-ft of torque, which could be enough to make the Lykan Hypersport’s claimed 242-mph top speed plausible. W Motors’ Performance estimates are based on computer simulations, as a running prototype has yet to be tested.
Because matching the performance of a comparatively cheap Lamborghini Aventador would give wealthy Middle Eastern customers nothing to brag about, the Lykan Hypersport will sport some serious bling. The headlights will feature diamond-encrusted LEDs, while the hood will be gold-plated – the perfect complement to the rest of the car’s lightweight construction. Inside, the supercar will receive a “holographic display” on the windshield. Whether this feature will look like the futuristic spy tech seen on the BMW i8 concept in 2011’s Mission: Impossible: Ghost Protocol is unknown.
