There’s more Bentley news in our latest print edition, but its coachbuilding division Mulliner have announced an ultra-exclusive roadster – reminiscent of the incredible EXP GT 100 concept I saw last year. All-hail the Mulliner Bacalar Convertible. Exotic ancient river-wood, craft wools and tweed adorn its two-seat cabin in this all new externally styled car – sure to be the most luxurious to date.
That slightly unpronounceable but very impressive brand Koenigsegg are up to their wizardry again with their new Gemera. This is their first-ever four-seater and because it’s a Koenigsegg, it’s obviously among the most powerful and fastest four-seaters ever. Here’s the thing; it’s got a tiny 2.0-litre engine and three electric motors, giving this Swedish projectile the ‘face-altering’ acceleration of 100km/h ‘in less than two seconds’ as it climbs upwards to a 400km/h-plus top speed.
Hispano Suiza, an exotic Spanish brand well-known to aficionado’s, but the rest of us should be delighted to learn that the brand has been revived with this new Carmen Boulogne. It’s a retro-racing inspired tourer with a twin-motor, rear-wheel-drive that in packs a new silicon carbide transistor unit which somehow helps to power the car to 100km/h in less than two seconds. It’s bonkers.
Then there is the British hyper-car maker Apex. They’re – keeping us guessing for now – but its new AP-0 all-electric car tips the scales at just 1200kg, thanks in part to lots of carbon-fibre. Expect ludicrously quick acceleration – around 2.7 seconds – for this 280km/h car.
If all that’s a bit digital for you, consider the latest offering from Morgan and their ageless Plus Four. It may be an entry-level sports car, but it’s graduated from an ash frame to new aluminium architecture and packs the same powerplant as the rapid BMW Z4. But it still looks like a Morgan should, which is delightfully ancient.
The Volvo-owned electric performance brand, Polestar, presented their Precept. It’s a four-door grand tourer that is arguably better looking than anything Tesla has mustered so far. Trading on values of ‘pure, progressive and performance’, Polestar CEO Thomas Ingenlath reckons the car is a declaration, a vision of what Polestar stands for and what makes the brand relevant.
That leaves the super-hot, all-electric Rimac C Two. At last, it is set to make production (remember how The Grand Tour host Richard Hammond dramatically was involved in a flaming crash during filming in the first Concept One version?). Before you speed-dial your wealth manager to order one though, know that all 150 of these four-engined Croatian-built hyper-cars have been pre-sold for a mere R40 million each.
By Richard Webb
