The young company Nilu27, founded by the famous car designer Sasha Selipanov and his wife Inna Selipanova, has completely declassified the design of its debut supercar. Nilu is designed for the race track, but there will also be a road version.
Actually, the premiere of the Nilu supercar was scheduled for August 15 — it remains in force, it's just that then the car will be shown to the public live as part of the automobile week in Monterey (USA, California), and today the remote premiere took place, preceded by a series of teasers.
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Let us recall that Sasha Selipanov is one of the most famous car designers in the world, who can be conditionally called our compatriot: he was born in Tbilisi, spent his school years in Moscow, studied car design at the Californian ArtCenter College of Design and at the Russian MAMI and Stroganovka. Sasha Selipanov's career path ran through the companies Volkswagen, Lamborghini, Bugatti, Genesis, Koenigsegg and eventually led him to his own business. Last year, Sasha and his wife Inna opened the design studio Hardline27 with offices in Los Angeles and Berlin, and Nilu27 is their joint car company, founded this year.
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The number 27 in the names of the design studio and car company refers to the starting number used by many legendary Formula 1 drivers, including Gilles Villeneuve, Jean Alesi, Nigel Mansell, Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost. In turn, the name Nilu was formed by merging the names of the daughters of the Selipanovs — Nika and Lucia. Sasha Selipanov's debut supercar is simply called Nilu; it does not have a separate model name or index.
Nilu looks impressive — it is clear that Sasha has a lot of experience working with supercars, while Nilu is not a collection of quotes, it has a very original image and many interesting details. Nilu can be compared to naked bikes — the chassis, engine and part of the power frame are on display. There are no headlights, because Nilu is not intended for road public use, but the aerodynamic plumage of Nilu for a track supercar is very laconic, without elements protruding beyond the dimensions of the body.
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Nilu is positioned as a challenge to the modern automobile industry with its dominance of electronics and all sorts of smart driver assistants. Nilu should return the driver to the lost connection with the car and allow him to enjoy it without restrictions. The analog aesthetics are especially well felt in the Nilu's interior, where there are no screens, except for one small one in the rearview mirror. There is not a single button on the steering wheel. There are no driving mode selectors either, because Nilu will initially be configured in an optimal way. Meanwhile, the few toggle switches and switches on the overhead console look amazing, emphasizing Sasha Selipanov's attention to small details.
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A separate masterpiece is the Nilu instrument panel: it consists of two symmetrical sections and four large round pointer dials in openwork metal frames. The outermost dials are the speedometer and tachometer, located to the left and right of the steering wheel, respectively, reminiscent of the Le Mans racing cars of the 1960s. The ignition switch is located under the manual gearbox lever platform with open slots, the reverse gear has a folding fuse, insuring the driver from mistakes. The seats in Nilu are fixed, and the pedal assembly, steering wheel and exterior rear-view mirrors have mechanical adjustments — no electric drives!
The Nilu is based on a carbon fiber monocoque, to which tubular aluminum subframes are bolted at the front and back, to which the power unit and suspension are attached. Sasha deliberately refused the now fashionable composite subframes, like those of the Lamborghini Revuelto, because classic tubular ones look better, provide better heat dissipation and better access to units and assemblies during maintenance. The Nilu has a spring suspension, on double wishbones «in a circle» and with push rods (push-rod). Forged wheels with a central fastening nut are made by the Italian company AppTech, but their design was developed by Nilu27. Powerful carbon-ceramic brakes are supplied by Brembo. Wheels — Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 R, dimensions 265/35 R 20 at the front and 325/30 R 21 at the rear.
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The 6.5-liter naturally aspirated V12 petrol engine for the Nilu was developed by New Zealand company Hartley Engines: it is short-stroke, high-revving, with an 80-degree angle of collapse and an individual throttle body for each cylinder. The 3D-printed Inconel exhaust system is deliberately brought up for better cooling and so that it can be admired. The maximum engine power will exceed 1000 hp, that is, it will surpass the 8.3-liter naturally aspirated V16 of the latest Bugatti Tourbillon and the 4.5-liter naturally aspirated V10 from Cosworth, installed on the Red Bull RB17 track supercar. The Nilu has a 7-speed manual transmission from the Italian company CIMA, all the power is transmitted to the rear wheels. The dynamic characteristics of Nilu have not yet been revealed.
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Nilu27 is going to release only 15 copies of its debut supercar, they will be assembled manually at the Aria Group plant in Irvine, California. The start date of production and the price of Nilu have not yet been announced, but a road version of the model has already been promised — it will be produced in a circulation of 54 copies.