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.
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The Car That Taste Forgot ...
Utterly ghastly!! ... The exterior looks like someone went through a job-lot of over-sized plastic model parts and wondered what would fit together (and then paint it in "tasteful" cream and white enamels!!) ... and as for the interior!! ... LOL ... I was looking for a red button to switch on the LED "Man With More Money Than Sense Driving" sign ... Bugatti has NOTHING to fear ...
bland, bland, bland......
.....inside & out. I guess if a rich guy wants to waste his money who are we to argue. Perhaps it's some sort of tax dodge to set up a faux car company?
Also looks like someone's girlfriend left her Louis Vuitton handbag on the passenger dash!
Please tell me that's not a bolted on airbag housing?
First Korean Supercar?
Is it really the very first Korean supercar? Pretty sure you could make an argument that the Oullim Spirra beats it by a few years.
The Epique GT1 looks alright in the flesh, and the Roush-tuned engine sounded suitably loud going up the hill. I guess it's just another plaything for those who already have everything else in their collection.