Be afraid: the 280mph Zenvo Aurora has finally been unleashed

It’s been named after the stunning Northern Lights – the Aurora Borealis – but prospective owners will likely see stars upon their first encounter with the throttle. Because this new Zenvo is about as extreme a road car as you can get.

Well, one of them is. There are two versions of this new ‘car’: welcome the new Zenvo Aurora Tur, and Zenvo Aurora Agil. While they service different ambitions – the former built for long distance road trips, the latter for attacking the track – both are armed with a brand new V12 engine.

Slotted into a brand-new bespoke chassis and clothed in the barest of carbon fibre suits, the end result is less a ‘car’ and – in ‘Tur’ guise – a 1,850bhp insect capable of 0-62mph in 2.3s, 0-186mph in 9s and 0-248mph (!) in 17s. Flat out in this ‘road car’, you’re looking at the scary end of 280mph.

Actually looks fairly scary too. Zenvo design boss Christian Brandt has lent on the company’s past but also to its future, deploying classic Danish philosophy – simplicity – into a ‘skeletal’ form. “We wanted to showcase as much of the chassis, the engine and the suspension as we could,” he said.

Apparently the split between people who wanted comfort/luxury, and those who wanted a more ‘aggressive’ car was exactly 50/50, hence the two cars. Both bodystyles are wrapped around the same carbon monocoque (of which 70 per cent is apparently uncovered), dubbed ‘ZM1’. It’s a modular chassis, weighs less than 120kg and claims to offer “Formula 1 levels of structural safety”.

Into this exposed chassis comes that aforementioned V12, a brand new 6.6-litre quad-turbo monster developed by Mahle Powertrain able to punch out a cool 1,250bhp on its own while revving to 9,800rpm. It’s a ‘hot V’ setup (the turbos inside the ‘V’ of the engine) mounted in the middle, and both versions of the Aurora get a seven-speed gearbox with an electric motor nestled inside, adding a further 200bhp.

“The overwhelming feedback we received from owners was that everyone loves the throttle response of naturally aspirated engines, and the instant hit of power delivered by electric, but without the heavy weight and range anxiety that comes with batteries,” said Zenvo boss Jens Sverdup. It’s why there are four smaller turbos, and the e-motor to torque fill while they spool up.

In the track-focused Agil that means a rear-drive hypercar with 1,450bhp, but in the Aurora Tur, there’s an additional pair of electric motors (one on each front wheel) for four-wheel-drive and the full nutjob 1,850bhp and 280mph.

The Agil will do 227mph flat out, designed as it is for the track, and though it posts slightly tardier acceleration numbers – 0-62mph in 2.5s – it boasts 880kgs of downforce at 155mph. That comes via more aggressive aero around the body and underneath the car, along with a massive rear wing with an air brake (no, it won’t dance). Everything has been stripped from the inside of this one, to help record a kerbweight of 1,300kg.

The Tur’s a mite heavier – 1,450kg – but that smoother, less complex shape helps enable the 280mph top end. That and 1,850bhp of course. Inside this version there’s obviously a higher level of comfort: “tactile” materials, better soundproofing and a “more traditional luxury GT environment”.

“The Aurora project is best described as an equilibrium of extremes,” Sverdup said. “Throughout the development phases, we have been very clear that we did not want to be chasing specific numbers or lap times, as this can then cause a distraction or compromise when it comes to other areas.

“However, what was important was the drive to push the Aurora to be on the leading edge of what could be achieved through pushing each element to the maximum in synchronisation with the others.

“We just wanted to build an uncompromised drivers’ car which delivered on every level,” he added.

Speaking of which, deliveries of both hand-built Aurora models will begin in 2025.