6 Bonkers 1000bhp+ Hypercars Announced This Week

Where else to start than with the Bugatti Chiron? When the Veyron was released all those years ago, it was a game-changer. Nowadays it seems anyone with a spanner and a marketing budget is claiming to make in excess of 1000bhp, but back then we’d never really seen the likes of it before.

So the big question with the Chiron was this: Could Bugatti make a hypercar that’s exciting enough to drown out the competition? The answer is a big, fat, emphatic yes. The Veyron was a technological marvel, and so, too, is the Chiron. It’s got an 8.0-litre W16 engine making 1479bhp and 1179lb ft from just 2000rpm, and there are four turbochargers working to shove 60,000 litres of oxygen through the engine every minute. Then there’s the fact it has 10 radiators, the biggest clutch ever fitted to a production car, and is as stiff as a Le Mans Prototype race car.

The Chiron might not be quite as unique as its older brother was upon first release, but it’s still up there as a wondrous piece of technology.

2. Koenigsegg Regera

Speaking of wondrous pieces of technology, here’s Koenigsegg’s attempt to upstage Bugatti. The Regera is a hybrid hypercar, making in excess of 1500bhp thanks to three electric motors that support a 5.0-litre twin-turbo V8.

The headlines might be for the power figure, but the truly interesting aspect of this car is its gearbox, or rather lack thereof. This is the first car to feature Koenigsegg’s ‘Direct Drive’ technology, which was debuted on the Regera concept at last year’s Geneva show. It’s a rather complicated system, but to simplify, the engine is directly connected to the rear axle via a hydraulic coupling, which closes as speed increases - the car starts moving under electric power, and when the Regera reaches a specified speed the hydraulic coupling closes to bring the engine into play. It’s a fascinating system, and we can’t wait to see what it’s like to drive.

3. Arash AF10

Let’s be honest, we’ll believe the Arash AF10 is a thing once we’ve actually seen it on the road and have dyno-tested one. For now, take all of this with a massive pinch of salt, partly because the company’s marketing material reads like it was written by an enthusiastic 12-year-old and partly because when we got up close to it at the Geneva motor show it didn’t really look like there was anything close to what’s known as build quality.

Still, it’s made it as far as the stands so let’s give it some time of day. According to Arash’s press fluff, the AF10 makes an “insane” (yep, that’s an actual quote) 2080bhp thanks to four electric motors (two on each axle) and a 6.2-litre supercharged V8. Arash calls this combination of electric motors and internal combustion engine ‘Warp Drive’ technology. 0-62mph is a claimed 2.8 seconds. The chassis is made from an “awesome!” carbonfibre tub, and weighs the same as 658 iPhone 6s, apparently.

The full fat hybrid model will cost you a whopping £1.2 million, and while we’d love to see this British startup succeed, we’ll reserve judgement until we see a fully working model…

Okay, so the Apollo Arrow doesn’t quite have 1000bhp, but at 986bhp it’s close enough. Born out of the ashes of Gumpert as Apollo Automobil, this will be the halo car for the new manufacturer, which was tasked with building a 1000bhp car by its new Chinese investors.

It’s an incredible looking car, and the designers are confident that when the Arrow makes the leap from concept to production car, it’ll look almost identical to what we see today. Under the skin is an Audi-sourced 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8, which will be offered in various states of tune - up to the that 986bhp, 737lb ft of torque ceiling - depending on the insanity of each owner.

5. Techrules TREV

If it makes production, this will likely be China’s first ever supercar, and with 1030bhp it should shake up the establishment. But it’s not just the power output that has us intrigued, it’s also the way it makes that power.

TREV stands for Turbine-Recharging Electric Vehicle, and the way it differs from traditional turbine car efforts is that it uses a ‘micro turbine’ to power a generator that charges the batteries, which in turn power the six electric motors. Techrules reckons that the whole turbine and generator system is so low maintenance that you could seal it for life, with only air filters needing replacing.

At the moment it all seems very theoretical - and the claimed 6372lb ft of torque seems rather ludicrous - however Techrules is talking a good game about how it’s going to work, and claims it has been secretly testing at Silverstone since February, so there’s an outside chance this thing could reach production. If it can pull it off, the TREV could be a very exciting car indeed.

6. Rimac Concept S

The Concept S is the more hardcore version of the Concept One - which itself makes in excess of 1000bhp - and just made its debut at the Geneva motor show. It’s an all-electric machine, with four motors - one at each wheel - each with its own inverter and gearbox, which allows each wheel to work independently.

The motors have been tuned up to produce 1365bhp, with a 227mph top speed. For the S, a new aerodynamic kit increases downforce by 30 per cent, while Pirelli P Zero Trofeo R tyres help keep the car stuck to the tarmac. It’s also been on an extensive diet, with a revised battery pack, carbonfibre materials, and a stripped out interior contributing to a 50kg drop in weight.

Of all the barmy low-volume, speculative supercars in this list, the Rimac vehicles feel like the most grounded in reality.