The Rise of the Hypercar

What is a Hypercar? Is it a premium Supercar? Is there even such a thing? Well, it appears there is.

Currently a design concept, the Audi Hypercar would have a hybrid drive, an ultra-light, low-drag design and an aerodynamically constructed body made using the most advanced composite materials.

A Hypercar is a car that is designed to be a car above any other car and the best available to buy on the market. The Porsche 918, McLaren P1 and LeFerrari are examples of some of the cars on the market taking Hypercar status. Audi Project Scorpion is the next car out of the Hypercar blocks. Based on the R18 race car, the Scorpion will be reinforced using aluminium honeycomb; indeed, aluminium will be used throughout in order to make the car lighter overall. The current R18 has a 24-valve, 3.7-litre diesel engine fed by a single turbocharger. The Scorpion will build on the success of the R18 which produces over 500 hp and 625 lb-ft of torque (the Scorpion is rumoured to be able to produce more than 700 hp).

Arguably, a Hypercar is all about performance over anything else, which means a hefty price tag of approximately one million pounds. These cars are certainly only designed for the super-rich.