Nowadays, there are plenty of startup companies cooking up an EV hypercar. Thanks to the electrical revolution, the hypercar industry has become like the watch industry – come up with a provocative design and then outsource the electric powertrain from somewhere else. However, internal combustion engine hypercars are still alive and it seems the next big thing isn’t coming from Bugatti, Pagani, or Koenigsegg, but….from Greece.
No, your eyes are not deceiving you. The country most known for Olives and philosophers is making the next hypercar. The company in question is Spyros Panopoulos Automotive (SP Automotive) and it was founded back in 2019, with the goal of making some of the fastest and most innovative cars in the world. A bold statement, indeed, which is backed up by some interesting figures and an intimidating name for their creation.
More than a hypercar
Actually, calling Chaos a hypercar is a mistake, as the engineer behind it - Spyros Panopoulos – aims to create the first-ever ultra-car. The car will be powered by an innovative V-10 engine that would produce 3,000 horsepower while being capable of sprinting from 0 to 62 mph (100 km/h) in 1.8 seconds, on its way to 500 km/h (311 mph). If this turns out to be true, Chaos will be able to dwarf cars like the Bugatti Chiron and Koenigsegg Jesko.}
Spyros Panopoulos Chaos specifications
|
Engine |
4.0-liter V-10 |
|---|---|
|
Power |
3,000 HP |
|
0 to 62 mph |
1.8 seconds |
|
Top Speed |
500 km/h (311 mph) |
That said, not all of the power will come from the V-10 engine. The Chaos will be hybrid or, at the very least, its most powerful version will be. At this point, we don't have any technical details regarding the electric aspect of the powertrain, but it is believed that the Chaos will feature at least two electric motors.
The mighty V-10 will be mated to an eight-speed DCT that will send power to all four wheels. The car will feature 22-inch 3D printed wheels and stopping power will come from the massive brakes, which have 428 mm discs at the front and 416 mm at the rear.
All this would sound like a mad man’s rambling, until you find out that the engineer from Athens has been running a successful high-tech company that makes special components for McLaren, Lamborghini, and other supercars. In addition, he also develops tech for speed boats and military applications. This should be proof enough that some serious engineering is going behind the development of Chaos, in order for it to achieve the above-mentioned figures.
According to the engineer and founder, creating his own car was the logical step forward. "Because we make parts for supercars anyway, at one point we came up with the idea to create our own car in which to put all these parts”, Panopoulos said.
The Spyros also said that he is financing the project through personal funds, but he is in talks with bigger investors. The engineer also has the uneasy, but noble goal to keep the project on his home soil while attracting many of Greece’s talented young people who have studied automotive design and engineering and normally go abroad, in search of better opportunities.
Pricing and production
Remember how we said, the Chaos would dwarf the Chiron and Jesko in terms of performance. It seems it would do the same in terms of pricing. For the base model, you’ll have to part with €5.5 million (approx.$6,4 million). If you want the 3,000 horsepower version, be prepared to come up with €12.5 million, which is $14.5 million. Initially scheduled to debut at the canceled 2021 Geneva Motor Show, the Chaos will be unveiled on November 1st. Expected production is between 15 and 20 cars will be made per year.