Meet the Light and Powerful 280mph Zenvo Aurora
Marking the start of a new era for the Danish brand, Zenvo Automotive has unveiled the lightest and most powerful road car it’s ever produced. An all-new hypercar designed from the ground up, the new Zenvo Aurora is capable of truly terrifying speeds.
With strong Nordic themes and named after Aurora Borealis, future owners will have the option of two different versions that will launch simultaneously, each dependent on the style of driving and design they prefer. For aggressive styling and track-based focus, the Aurora Agil is the best option, whereas the Aurora Tur comes with a more elegant design and is tailored for long-distance road trips.
Whilst every element has been thoroughly considered, the focus for Zenvo has never been about lap times, but more about driver experience and useability.
“Throughout the development phases, we have been very clear that we did not want to be chasing specific numbers or lap times, as this can then cause a distraction or compromise when it comes to other areas,” explains Chairman of the Board & Chief Commercial Officer, Jens Sverdru.
That’s not to say however that the Auroro couldn’t perform at the top of any leaderboard at any track around the world. Whilst the Tur has a higher top speed of 280 mph, the Agil beats it on pure acceleration alone, with a 0-62mph time of 2.5 seconds, 0-125mph in 4.6 seconds and 0-186mph in 10 seconds.
The design has been heralded as “typically Danish”, less being more and trying to keep to a very simplistic brief. Chief Designer, Christian Brandt, headed up the small team responsible for bringing Danish design to an all-new marketplace.
“The chassis and the components of Aurora are all works of art, and we made a very definite decision that we did not want to hide these details away under a monolithic design. It is like a complex timepiece or the skeletal architecture of a motorcycle, where the inner workings are the fascinating part, and we wanted to showcase as much of the chassis, the engine, and the suspension as we could.”
Due to the 50/50 split between people who wanted luxury and those who preferred an ‘aggressive’ car, the Danish brand decided to launch two cars, and both are built on an all-new ZM1 modular monocoque design from Zenvo. The lightweight chassis utilises Formula 1 technologies, aiding downforce and stability thanks to its ability to channel airflow.
Looking inside the chassis, a 6.6-litre quad-turbo V12 developed by Mahle Powertrain is able to put out 1,250bhp and rev to 9,800rpm. Mid-mounted behind the cockpit, it is enhanced by a lightweight electric motor system, generating up to an extra 600bhp depending on the drivetrain configuration. The Agil has a rear wheel drive system featuring a single integrated electric motor which generates 200bhp. Whilst a four-wheel drive set up is optional on the Agil, it comes as standard in the Tur, adding a further electric motor to each of the front wheels to offer 1,850bhp. The result delivers a naturally aspirated engine style throttle response, making it the most powerful V12 engine ever fitted to a road car.
“The overwhelming feedback we received from owners was that everyone loves the throttle response of naturally aspirated engines, and the instant hit of power delivered by electric, but without the heavy weight and range anxiety that comes with batteries,” said Zenvo boss Jens Sverdup.
Limited to just 50 models of each, production will commence in 2025, with each being hand-built at the Zenvo headquarters in Præstø, Denmark.
Words: Mike Booth
Pictures: Zenvo Automotive