First Korean supercar takes FoS bow

The first-ever Korean supercar, the 845bhp mid-engined de Macross Epique GT1, 
was given its European debut at the Goodwood Festival of Speed.


The carbonfibre-tubbed, alloy-bodied 
Epique is the brainchild of Korean oil magnate and avid car collector 
Keyser Hur, who is sinking part of his fortune into making de Macross a
 reality.

"'Mr Hur loves cars and he is following his dream to make his own
car and company," said company spokesman Yongbin Choi.

The Epique has been 
engineered in Toronto 
by Canadian supplier company Multimatic. It is powered by a 
supercharged 5.4-litre Ford V8 tuned by Roush to more than 800bhp and 
725lbft of torque.


Mounted midships and in line, it mates to a Ricardo transaxle
 supported by an alloy rear subframe.
 The front suspension features dampers 
by F1 company DSSV, whose hardware is said to be used by Red Bull. The 
suspension is also supported by an alloy front subframe, which features 
cast suspension towers.


De Macross claims a 1450kg kerb weight, 0-62mph 3.1sec and a top speed "more than 230mph".


Production plans are in their
 infancy, although US and Middle East buyers are said to be able to order the 
$1.5m-plus-taxes Epique now with a six-month waiting time quoted.


"There are 
places in the Middle East where Bugatti Veyrons are commonplace and the 
Epique is generating interest as an interesting alternative," said the
 company.


De Macross first unveiled the Epique at the Dubai auto show in
 November last year.
 The company is now working with a US engineering group, 
Turin International, to get engineering approvals for the US, although the
 plan is to sell a handful of models under the single vehicle approval 
process.

"'There are enough permits around now for what we need," said David 
Hops of Turin International. 
European type approval is also on the 'to-do' list. 
One
 of the biggest challenges facing the company is to get a profile for the 
name de Macross, which was chosen for its European sound, but has no racing 
or competition heritage.


The company said it had hoped to 
launch in conjunction with ex-F1 driver Jacques Villeneuve, a friend of 
owner Keyser Hur, but discussions to use the Villeneuve name fell
 through.