Hispano-Suiza Returns as a Coachbuilder of an Audi R8

Posted by Mr Dung Tuesday, March 2, 2010

 

One-time automotive innovator and chassis-supplier Hispano-Suiza has returned from the ashes and landed in Geneva. The new Hispano-Suiza is a coachbuilder, and its debut model is a special Audi R8 5.2 FSI V10.

While the body is indeed all carbon fiber, and yes, the MTM'd twin-supercharged 10-cylinder does make 750 horsepower (and 516 lb-ft of torque), at €700,000 or US$950,000 I'll be jumping on the "Are you serious? Overpriced."-bandwagon. But hey, I'm a Pagani kind of guy (like the wee Richard Hammond).

For that investment, buyers get quite a special R8 (I won't call it a true Hispano-Suiza for fear of incurring coachbuilt-auto fans' wrath).

The car is torn down, the chassis is stretched, the suspension is replaced, the center-locking wheels are 22 inches, and the interior is bespoke (while a few options, including the sound system and transmissions, carry over).

According to Automobile Magazine, "[the] design is that of Erwin Leo Himmel (Audi 1982-'94, VW Group Design Centre Europe '95-'99, Fuore 2000-2007)".

All together, the new Hispano-Suiza makes some mighty claims: 0-100 km/h in 3.4 seconds and a top speed of 340 km/h (211 mph). Compare that to a standard R8 V10's 3.9-second run to 60 and a maximum velocity of 316 km/h (196 mph) and you can almost see where all the money is going: extensive chassis/body work, a hand-crafted interior, and mega-output.

Not only that, but supposedly a convertible version is in the pipeline, along with a hybrid model (hey, all the cool kids are doing it) that drops another 150-horsepower into the mix for a total of...hang on... 900 horsepower.

Word is the order books are open, and deliveries are set to begin in six months with hopes of 25-50 copies per year. Good luck, guys.

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