Take a closer look at the 1,180bhp jet-engined Ariel Hipercar

Nope, the spelling isn’t wrong, Ariel is merely using the word differently, a contraction of ‘High Performance Carbon Reduction’. So 'Hipercar'. Carbon emissions rather than carbon fibre. There’s a lot of the latter about, although underneath the chassis is aluminium and most of the body sections are weighty 3D-printed test panels. It’s 1,759kg as it sits here, but Ariel is confident of dropping that below 1,500kg with full carbon panels and carbon wheels.

The jet turbine is a range extender – it exists to charge the 56kWh battery, not drive the wheels. Available as either 2WD or 4WD, with or without the jet turbine, full house versions are likely to be knocking on the door of seven figures. That’s a complete sea change for Ariel, for a car without classic hypercar elegance. But this is new tech, new age, new customer base. It’s something totally different, something wild and outrageous, the essence of Ariel in electric form.