Lykan Hypersport: all you need to know
What is the Lykan Hypersport and should we care about it?
Fans of the Fast and Furious films may recognise the Lykan Hypersport from the series’ latest instalment, where it leaped between buildings hundreds of feet up in the air. Away from the big screen though, the Hypersport is a real car – but is it one that’s worth our attention?
Built by Middle Eastern start up WMotors, the Lycan Hypersport utilises running gear from RUF, the noted Porsche tuner. It shares its 3.8-litre twin-turbo flat-six engine with the mid-engined RUF CTR3. The Hypersport also shares its mid/rear engine layout and gearbox options (a seven-speed PDK or six-speed sequential box) with the CTR3, it would seem that under the carbon skin the two cars are quite closely related.
Bearing the same 769bhp and 708lb ft figures as the RUF, the Lykan should at least back up its looks with the speed you would expect of a seven figure supercar. However where the core focus for most supercars is performance, the Lykan takes a different route , presenting itself as a luxury good aimed at the mega-rich rather than a supercar to be driven by enthusiasts. To that end, design has taken precedence over performance during the Hypersport’s development.
Evidence of this can be seen in details like the headlights, which feature diamonds within the lighting elements (that is of course unless the owner prefers sapphires). The Hypersport utilises all sorts of unusual materials in the interior, too, including a holographic centre display, sculpted crystal gear knob, and unusual reverse dihedral door hinges for a touch of theatre.
So is the Lykan Hypersport just an irrelevant indulgence or a meaningful exercise in car design and development? For those who care more about front-end grip than diamond-studded headlights probably not, but there will always be a market for this kind of vehicle.
At a reported £2.7million it's unlikely many drivers will get to experience the Lykan Hypersport, and those who do probably won't worry about how it drives. But as a car to show off in (and a star sharing the screen with Vin Diesel) there’s nothing quite like it.
