Unless you are a bit of a history buff, the year 1789 probably doesn't mean much, but to the team of young engineers and racers at Vision Automobiles, the year the French Revolution began seems like a fitting moniker for it’s cutting-edge racer.
Dubbed the Vision Automobiles 1789, this sleek and curvaceous hypercar is the brainchild of former Peugeot designer Thomas Castex and close friend/former Renault employee Florian Gravouil. With the help of fellow Frenchmen and racing pros Paul-Loup Chatin and Matthieu Vaxiviere, the team set about to create a car and a brand that fused high performance with high fashion luxury elements.
Running solely on liquid bio-methane, the advanced race machine is said to pack a serious performance punch while limiting the impact on its environment. “For the road, gaseous bio-methane will be used, which does not evaporate. Both will be stored in a tank behind the occupants. This more responsible powertrain works perfectly with today’s combustion engines and allows to keep an incredibly important and emotional element… the sound of Le Mans’ racing cars,” explains the team.
Very few technical specs have been revealed so far but Project 1789 is inspired by the prototypes found in the pits of the 24 Hours of Le Mans race. It will be a two-seater and boast a power-to-weight ratio close to one:one.
According to its website, the average age of the vision team is 26 and its start-up mentality helps the business “avoid the tedious compromises and standardisation inherent in the automobile industry”. The burgeoning company already has established partners with the likes of Michelin tyres and Welter Recherche Technologie Industrie high performance components, so watch this space for more.
Keyword: French Revolution: Vision Automobiles’ 1789 racer has its sights set on Le Mans