- Automotive designer Sasha Selipanov, known for his work on the Bugatti Chiron, the Koenigsegg CC850, and the Lamborghini Huracán, has designed his own hypercar, the V-12 Nilu.
- The Nilu’s 6.5-liter naturally aspirated V12, manual transmission, and few screens reflect the kind of simplified driving experience currently trending among high-end collectors.
- The Nilu will have a public debut on August 15, during Monterey Car Week 2024.
As forced-induction and hybrid horsepower numbers rocket upward at a speed matched only by the complexity of traction-control program modes, and square inches of interior surface covered by touchscreens, the new standout in high-end performance and luxury seems to be manual transmissions and free-breathing, naturally aspirated powerplants. Such is the case with Nilu27’s self-named hypercar, the Nilu. The wide-mouthed two-seater with its NACA ducts, exposed V-12 engine, and seven-speed manual transmission combines classic supercar styling and driving elements with lightweight tube subframes and a composite monocoque.
Nilu27 is the creation of Sasha and Inna Selipanov. The name is a combination of the Selipanov children’s names, Nica and Lucia, with the racing number of Formula 1 driver Gilles Villeneuve, a photo of whom inspired Sasha as a child to pursue automotive design. His most well-known work in the automotive industry has been with Koenigsegg, Lamborghini, and Bugatti, where he worked on the Gemera, CC850, Huracán, and Chiron, to name just a few of his greatest hits. For the Nilu, he left the security of an established brand to create his own vision of the perfect hypercar.
Wild Looks
The Nilu sits low to the ground with a wide twin-scoop mouth that looks a bit like Jeremy Clarkson driving the BAC Mono on Top Gear (Season 20, Episode 2). The bodywork rises steeply over 20-inch five-spoke wheels and then drops like a ski jump into a wide rear scoop over a NACA duct before smoothing out over the 21-inch rear wheels and tucking around the exposed engine with its GT40-like “snake pit” of center-mounted exhaust pipes.
Beneath the active curves of the exterior is a carbon-fiber monocoque attached to aluminum tubular subframes supporting a forged double-wishbone pushrod suspension, Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 R tires (265/35R-20 front and 325/30R-21 rear) on wide Nilu27-designed, AppTech-produced center-lock wheels. Stopping is handled by carbon-ceramic Brembo discs and new-sneaker-white brake calipers, which should have no issue bringing the proposed 2600-pound (dry weight) car to a stop.
Inside gullwing doors, the Nilu seats two in a fixed side-by-side position. Following a burgeoning trend among supercar startups, you’ll see no big screens or button-bedazzled steering wheel in the Nilu cockpit. Instead the focus is on the open, gated seven-speed manual shifter, billet-machined switches, and a floating bridgework gauge cluster.
Free Air V-12
There are no electric motor assists, turbochargers, or superchargers involved in the 6.5-liter V-12’s 1070 horsepower and 634 pound-feet of torque. Nilu27 worked with Hartley Engines in New Zealand to develop a big 80-degree hot-V mill with 12 throttle bodies, a redline above 10,000 rpm, and an eye-catching and thunderous 12-into-1 3-D-printed Inconel exhaust system that is the centerpiece of the car’s open rear view.
Nilu27 says the car should have a top speed of nearly 250 mph and a time to 60 mph that will be well under three seconds.
Planned Production
Nilu27 plans the public debut of the Nilu hypercar for August 15 at Pebble Beach during Car Week. The initial run of production will be limited to 15 cars to be assembled by Aria Group in Irvine, California. Future plans include a 54-car run of street-homologated variants. Pricing and delivery have not been announced, but impatient buyers can look for the Nilu in the CSR Racing 2 mobile simulator app in November.
Like a sleeper agent activated late in the game, Elana Scherr didn’t know her calling at a young age. Like many girls, she planned to be a vet-astronaut-artist, and came closest to that last one by attending UCLA art school. She painted images of cars, but did not own one. Elana reluctantly got a driver’s license at age 21 and discovered that she not only loved cars and wanted to drive them, but that other people loved cars and wanted to read about them, which meant somebody had to write about them. Since receiving activation codes, Elana has written for numerous car magazines and websites, covering classics, car culture, technology, motorsports, and new-car reviews. In 2020, she received a Best Feature award from the Motor Press Guild for the C/D story “A Drive through Classic Americana in a Polestar 2.” In 2023, her Car and Driver feature story “In Washington, D.C.’s Secret Carpool Cabal, It’s a Daily Slug Fest” was awarded 1st place in the 16th Annual National Arts & Entertainment Journalism Awards by the Los Angeles Press Club.
Source: Motor - aranddriver.com
