Vencer Sarthe: new Dutch supercar unveiled

Vencer has launched the production version of its 622bhp Sarthe supercar, featuring a brand new 6.2-litre V8 engine.

It’s a development of last year’s pre-production prototype – unveiled at the 2013 Top Marques exhibition in Monaco – and features over 100 changes and modifications.

This includes a few minor tweaks to the sculpted two-door’s original styling, such as the addition of open air-flow C-pillars and a revised engine cover. Vencer has also fitted aerodynamic front splitters and an automatic rear spoiler. Partly visual, these changes apparently help provide more downforce on the rear axle and ensure better engine cooling.

There’s a completely new cabin, too, closely built around the central driving position. Keeping distractions to a minimum, Vencer has developed its own Central Information System (CIS), a multitasking digital display designed for at-a-glance updates. The interior panels, meanwhile, are made in-house out of carbon fibre and two-tone leather upholstery with Alcantara inserts comes as standard. Customers can opt for “virtually unlimited” colour combinations for this trim, as well as selecting a wide variety of alternative materials to customise their Sarthe.

Under the compact front end is a 622bhp 6.2-lite V8 engine, capable of generating 838Nm of torque and featuring a supercharger for a more immediate throttle response. Although no performance figures have been released, Vencer claims the Sarthe is a “pure” driver’s car, “with a clear focus on road use”, as emphasised by the lack of “unnecessary computerized driving assistance”. 

If the Sarthe can back this claim up, it’ll owe much to the lightweight chassis and carbon fibre bodywork, alongside a Torsen limited slip differential, “optimized suspension”, and optional four-wheel hydraulic lift system. 

The Dutch start-up, founded in 2010, will hand-build each Sarthe at its new facility in Vriezenveen, with a projected output of one car per month. At that rate, it’s hardly surprisingly each one will start from €270,882, which works out at around £213,000, or slightly more than a Ferrari 458 Speciale.