We’re still very scarce on information about the debut car from Nilu27, a new hypercar brand that’s been created by former Koenigsegg and Bugatti designer Sasha Selipanov. The company has, however, been steadily feeding us teasers on its social channels, including one that particularly caught our interest: it looks like the as-yet-unnamed car will redline at 11,000rpm. Earplugs at the ready.
The brand is the brainchild of Sasha Selipanov, an automotive designer who last year launched his own design firm, Hardline27, after around a decade in the industry. The repeated occurrences of the number 27 are a reference to two of Selipanov’s favourite F1 drivers, Gilles Villeneuve and Jean Alesi. Nilu, meanwhile, comes from a combination of Selipanov’s daughters’ names.
Prior to going solo, Selipanov had stints at Lamborghini, Bugatti and Genesis, contributing to the Lamborghini Huracan and Bugatti Chiron among other cars. His last role was as the first official head of design for Koenigsegg, where he oversaw the looks of the Gemera and CC850.
Now that Selipanov has launched his own design firm and hypercar brand, we’ve been treated to a few teasers of his first solo project. We’ve had a good look at the back, which has elements reminiscent of various other hypercars: there’s a bit of Aston Martin Valkyrie in those big venturi tunnels and exposed tyres, and some Pagani Huayra in the gullwing doors and central exhaust setup.
We’ve also heard a quick blast of the engine noise, which has a distinct harsh, motorsport-ish edge to it. All rumours point to it being a naturally aspirated V12, and it looks like Nilu27 really hasn’t messed about: the rev counter goes all the way around to 13,000rpm, with the redline sitting at 11,000.
Very few road cars can lay claim to five-figure redlines. In recent years, there’s only really been Gordon Murray Automotive’s T.50 and T.33, and the Aston Martin Valkyrie. Lamborghini has also promised a 10k rpm limit from its upcoming Huracan replacement’s twin-turbo V8.
Nilu27, which says it’s “Unfazed by digitalization, electrification and other distractions” and “focusing on the ultimate automotive experience with a healthy dose of “holy s***” mixed in for good measure,” is set to debut the currently unnamed car in full on 15 August at the Pebble Beach Concours in California.
