Hulme Supercar
Named for the country's best known F1 driver, the Hulme Supercar is New Zealand's entree to the world of race-inspired high performance carsIt's as focussed as the Pagani Zonda or the McLaren F1, but the Hulme Supercar hails from New Zealand, not Europe.
Any car with a BMW M5 V8 developing over 370kW and weighing just 1175kg is going to be some sort of explosive device. That weight is so low because the constructors have chosen composite materials for the body and a tubular space-frame chassis.
Mounted 'North/South' behind the cabin, the engine drives through a six-speed sequential transmission to the rear wheels.
AP Racing brakes comprise a six-piston caliper set-up front and rear, working on 362x32mm disc rotors. Bosch ABS ensures that the car's performance potential is kept in check.
The small company established to build the car will work on just 25 units a year, with the intention of selling at least 150, commencing from this year.
It's not cheap though. The company, which has been formed by Kiwi entrepreneur Jock Freemantle, will sell the cars for £310,000 (that's Pounds Sterling, not dollars).
Mr Freemantle first approached designer Tony Parker in 2002 and the prototype was revealed in 2005. Freemantle chose to name the car after NZ's only Formula One World Champion, Denny Hulme.
Hulme was F1 world champion in 1967, driving a Brabham. Commencing in Formula One in 1965, he retired from the sport in 1974, but continued driving in touring cars right up to his death from heart attack in 1992, while driving a BMW M3 at Bathurst.
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