Atypical designs and unusual technologies are becoming increasingly rare, as most automakers are either busy with electrification or developing newer technologies to replace ICE vehicles. As luck would have it, today is just the right day to talk about the latest happening in the automobile industry. Ariel Motor the Crewkerne-based automaker from Somerset, England, has recently unveiled its first hypercar, the Ariel Hipercar.

And, yes, the spelling is right because Ariel calls this wicked supercar a "High-Performance Carbon Reduction vehicle." If you happen to wonder what's special about the Ariel Hipercar, well, there's a lot to say and more to appreciate.

The Hipercar is a hybrid hypercar and is propelled by a set of electric motors as well as a gasoline-powered jet turbine engine that offers 150 miles of extra mileage. Besides this, the Hipercar has a lot of things that we appreciate. It has it all, from a sporty interior to a mammoth powertrain. For car enthusiasts, it has been waiting for years.

According to Ariel, the Hipercar will start at USD 2 million, making it a perfect competitor for the market's lofty hype beasts. Let's discuss Hipercar's best features below.

Related: Here’s What Makes The New Electrified Ariel Hipercar So Awesome

The Ariel Hipercar Boasts A Prodigious Powertrain

Certainly, the most important feature of the Ariel Hipercar is its electric powertrain. The Ariel Hipercar features a Herculean electric unit to deliver a colossal experience once you press the gas pedal. The Hipercar uses a set of two or four high-performance electric motors on each wheel. Each wheel is equipped with an APM200 electric motor developed by Equipmake in collaboration with Aim Co. Japan produces 295 horsepower and 332 lb-ft of torque at 10,000 rpm.

As stated by Ariel, the Hipercar's rear-wheel-drive variant will offer 590 horsepower and 664 lb-ft of twist with two motors while the all-wheel-drive models will bestow an astounding 1,180 ponies of raw power and 1328 pound-feet of torque. This electric unit is mated to a newly designed Epicyclic single-speed gearbox that helps in distributing 1825 lb-ft of twist on each wheel.

The gearbox weighs only 19.8 pounds and is designed with helical-cut mechanical parts to save weight and reduce friction. The powertrain also features dynamic vehicle control (torque vectoring) to ensure proper torque distribution on wheels while taking corners. Ariel states the Hipercar can accelerate from 0-60 mph in just 2.09 seconds and will take just 3.8 seconds to hit the 100 mph line.

The Range Extender Is Hipercar’s Coolest Tech

While the Hipercar already features a liquid-cooled 62.2 kWh battery to offer the car a 150-mile range, Ariel has made sure the Hipercar stays distinct in the hypercar market and has outfitted the Hipercar with a Cosworth 47-horsepower micro-turbine engine. The micro-turbine runs at a constant rate of 120,000 rpm and works as a range extender to offer an additional 150 miles.

The gas-turbine range extender weighs only 110 pounds and can run on regular gasoline, synthetic and racing fuel. The gas-powered turbine range extender automatically activates or deactivates when the system senses a low battery percentage. In addition, drivers can also activate the manual override feature to further mine more power from the electric-gas powertrain.

The Newly Developed Thermal Management System

With such power and high performance, comes friction and heating. Ariel has equipped the Hipercar with a sophisticated powertrain cooling system to keep the temperature in check and optimize efficiency and performance. The Hipercar’s powertrain arrives equipped with a multi-circuit heated and cooled water-glycol thermal management system.

The cooling system covers the range extender, electric motors, battery, and other electronics to deliver unrivaled cooling performance. The temperature management system comes with a high-performance coolant pump, and the water-glycol mixture runs through a motorsport-derived aluminum radiator. It is meticulously designed to operate in a temperature range of -20 degrees to 45 degrees.

An All-New Chassis For The Hipercar

The chassis is the most essential part of a car, and for a high-performance vehicle, it has to be light, tensile, and carefully engineered. Ariel has developed the Hipercar’s chassis with high precision and used the latest technologies to make sure it provides both strength and stability. The Hipercar is built on a laser-cut and CNC-folded, bonded aluminum monocoque chassis, which is also outfitted with a high-strength safety rollover cage for the passengers inside.

In addition, the chassis comes equipped with a billet machined unequal-length wishbone suspensions equipped with Bilstein MDS dampers to deliver excellent handling and additional stability while making sharp maneuvers. Ariel has also used aluminum subframes at the front and back of the chassis to provide better rollover protection.

Related: Here's What Gearheads Should Know About The Ariel Hipercar

The Aerodynamically-Advanced Hipercar Exterior

The Ariel Hipercar flaunts one of the coolest exterior designs in the supercar market. Its exterior design resembles a modern Batmobile and can grab anyone’s attention. While Ariel hasn’t released the final-production exterior design of the Hipercar, they have released quite a few images of the Hipercar to inform us of its distinctive exterior design.

As we can see from these images, the Hipercar is designed to stay distinct in the segment. The exterior uses a fully enclosed body and its exterior is designed with 3D printed parts, carbon fiber fittings, and lightweight materials. With these, engineers have achieved a surprisingly lower curb weight and supreme aerodynamics.

Other Impressive Features Of The Ariel Hipercar

Ariel has also ensured the Hipercar provides a robust braking performance for safety and an efficient track deceleration process. They have equipped the wheels with Brembo’s 14.5-inch front ventilated disc brakes paired with 6-piston AP Racing calipers and 12.9-inch rear ventilated disc brakes with 4-piston AP Racing calipers.

As for interior features, the driver’s column comes equipped with a power-steering column paired with a 13-inch suede-trimmed sports steering wheel and a digital cluster consisting of dual TFT screens. The interior, as we know so far, will seat a couple of passengers with two lightweight carbon fiber Alcantara- covered sports seats.

Source: Ariel Motor