(August 8, 2024) Nilu27, the hypercar brand recently founded by celebrated sports car designer Sasha Selipanov, is showcasing its first vehicle — the self-titled Nilu hypercar. Following a number of social media teasers, which created a stir among the sports car community, the car can finally be revealed in its entirety. 

The Nilu hypercar challenges traditional automotive industry trends. By avoiding electrification, digitalization, and other technological aids, Nilu will deliver a raw, unfiltered, uncensored driving experience.

Taking inspiration from sources such as ’60s F1 and Le Mans racers, classic Italian design houses, the Bauhaus “form follows function” philosophy, old school American muscle, drift cars, mathematics, and avant garde metal music, Nilu’s no-nonsense design is as eclectic as it is original.



Sasha’s goal was to create a car with an “inevitable” design: fresh and yet somehow familiar. The resulting Nilu exterior, with its tight cross sections and sinuous curves, is functional, lean and aerodynamic. For maximum contrast, it juxtaposes clean sculptural surfaces with its mechanical, exposed and intricately detailed engine bay. True to Bauhaus philosophy, Nilu eschews superfluous styling features to celebrate essential functional beauty.

The Nilu chassis features a bespoke carbon fiber monocoque with lightweight aluminum-alloy tubular subframes. In contrast to “fashionable” composite subframes, the designer deliberately chose a tubular approach to improve access to the drivetrain components while effortlessly facilitating heat extraction and celebrating the mechanical aesthetic.

Nilu27 has partnered with Hartley Engines in New Zealand to produce one of the most powerful and visually striking naturally aspirated engines in the world. The Nilu engine bay is fully exposed, showcasing the beautiful 6.5-liter, 80-degree V12.

As Nilu will not rely on electrification, it aims to be the world’s most powerful, naturally aspirated hypercar. To achieve this, the V12 will deliver more than 1,000 horsepower. And while its large bore and short stroke will make it rev like an electric motor, the even-fire engine will provide the driver with the perfect amount of tactile vibration.

The Hartley V12 has a refined combustion area, high-flow ports, and performance-style valve geometry: something OEMs typically cannot accommodate in their compact platforms. The engine also features 12 large, individual throttle bodies for instant throttle response.

The Nilu cabin was designed to provide perfect viewing angles with ideal ergonomics and safety. The designer was able to achieve an incredibly low roofline and compact cabin dimensions without sacrificing comfort. Nilu seats two adults in a traditional side-by-side layout with best-in-class ingress and egress made possible by substantial gullwing doors, low sill heights, and fixed, sunken seats, which do not obstruct the door apertures with their side bolsters.

The Nilu human/machine interface is all about manual, analog controls, inputs and feedback. The only screen is the rear view camera/mirror, which addresses the traditional weakness of mid-engined sports cars: the lack of rearward visibility.

The steering wheel’s compact size and perfectly round shape allows for incredibly detailed steering feel and input precision. The wheel is void of switches, buttons and toggles; a testament to the belief that performance driving requires full concentration with zero distractions. Gone are the driving modes, settings and options: Nilu controls are both primary and intuitive.

For this reason, an open-gate, seven-speed manual transmission celebrates raw, analog driving while adding a safety element with its reverse gear lock-out. Steering wheel, pedal box, headrest, door mirrors and other adjustments are deliberately manual, accessed by gratifying manual levers and switches. The tactile, haptic feedback from cold-touch, machined billet controls was deemed both more engaging and, crucially, safer than navigating through screen menus.

The initial Nilu prototype vehicles and first batch of customer cars will be assembled by Aria Group in Irvine, Calif., allowing Nilu27 to ramp-up its own facilities overseas.

Nilu27 is simultaneously developing a street homologated version. This variant will be limited to 54 units, four of which will be unique, one-off designs.