Zenvo unleashes 'last chance' V12

Aurora hypercar revealed with 6.6-litre petrolelectric powertrain making 1850bhp

- CHARLIE MARTIN

The arrival of the Zenvo Aurora marks the rebirth of the Danish supercar maker as it moves away from the brutalist ST1 and TSR models that have defined its 16-year history.

"We sat down in the beginning and questioned what this car should be," chairman and chief commercial officer Jens Sverdrup said. "Why should I buy this car? Why aZenvo?" Zenvo's answer to that question is a thunderous 6.6-litre quad-turbocharged V12 engine named Mjølner, after Thor's hammer. The powerplant produces 1250bhp at 8000rpm before hitting the redline some 1800rpm later.

"If an alien happens to land at a race track and they hear a couple of [our] V12s, they will have their hairs standing up and tears running from their eyes," Sverdrup quipped.

"We are emotional beings, and [the sound] matters." He added that this would be "the last chance" to produce such an extravagant engine, although an element of hybridisation was still required in order to ensure compliance with the upcoming Euro 7 emissions regulations.