After teasing it out for some time, the Spanish-based and recently re-animated Hispano Suiza has released photos and renderings showing its new electric "Hyper-Lux" Carmen grand tourer in its entirety. The 1,019-horsepower supercar appears to be very retro-futuristic.
The aggressive teardrop shape establishes a link between tomorrow's electric supercar technology and the early-20th-century Dubonnet Xenia by Hispano Suiza. While the new car is a lot faster, there are visual similarities between it and its spiritual forebearer, made more obvious by the rendering showing them side by side. Both have faired-in rear wheels, which give the Carmen a strong helping of century-old streamliner cool. The aerodynamics are also helped by that, as its drag coefficent of Cd 0.325 is lower than a Porsche 918 Spyder or Koenigsegg Agera R.
Seen from behind, the taillights peek out from the Carmen's negative area like red jewels from an opened clam. Inside, the Carmen has luxurious leather and high-end audio. The battery electric drivetrain offers a 250-mile range, and Hispano Suiza says the Carmen takes less than 3 seconds to reach 62 mph. Top speed is limited electronically to 155 mph.
Road testing for the Carmen is said to begin in the middle of this year, with the first journalist test drives intended to start in October. Given that this car was "merely a conceptual idea" nine months ago, this is a stunningly quick turnaround. The Spanish company is already taking pre-orders, having priced the car at a cool 1.5 million euros or nearly $1.7 million. Only 19 cars will be made during the 2019-2021 production run. An official customer launch is slated to take place in June 2020.
