Skip advert
Advertisement

New Nilu27 NILU holds bonkers hypercar full house: 1,000bhp+ V12, manual gearbox and gullwing doors

The NILU’s creator is the former head of design for Koenigsegg and Bugatti, and may need a lie down in a darkened room

Meet the latest addition to the pantheon of huge horsepower speed machines: the NILU hypercar. It was created by the former head of design for Koenigsegg and Bugatti, and is powered by a 6.5-litre, naturally-aspirated V12 that revs to over 11,000rpm and is paired with a traditional manual gearbox. Crikey!

Advertisement - Article continues below

Sasha Selipanov is the man behind the NILU. After working on poster-worthy cars like the Bugatti Chiron, Koenigsegg CC850 and Lamborghini Huracan, he decided to launch his own hypercar brand, which is rather confusingly called Nilu27. So the first creation of the new company is technically called the Nilu27 NILU, but enough about that.

Having just made its public debut at Monterey Car Week, we’re told the outrageous design takes inspiration from everything, from classic American muscle cars to modern day drift cars. Underneath is a bespoke carbon fibre monocoque chassis with tubular aluminium-alloy subframes, double wishbone, pushrod suspension and carbon-ceramic brakes sourced from Brembo.

Like an Aston Martin Valkyrie, the NILU features gullwing doors that supposedly provide great access to the two-seat cabin. The seats are fixed and there are no controls on the steering wheel which sits in front of a set of analogue dials. There’s only one display screen inside the NILU and it’s for the rear-view camera/mirror.

The car’s V12 is fully exposed for all to bask in. Nilu27 partnered with Hartley Engines from New Zealand to produce, what it claims to be, “one of the most powerful and visually striking naturally aspirated engines in the world”. Peak power is rated at 1,055bhp and 860Nm of torque

The engine isn’t mated to electric motors or a hybrid system of any kind, but does feature 12 individual throttle bodies and a hot-V configuration, whereby the exhaust and air intake positions are swapped around, to aid packaging and heat extraction. 

This design also allows for the NILU’s “snakepit” headers, which flow into a tri-tip exhaust pipe. Meanwhile. the open-gate, seven-speed manual transmission is housed in a ceramic-coated, aluminium-alloy subframe.

15 track-only examples of the NILU hypercar will be produced at first, followed by 54 street-legal versions.

What do you think of the Nilu27 NILU? Let us know in the comments section below...

Skip advert
Advertisement
News reporter

As our news reporter, Ellis is responsible for covering everything new and exciting in the motoring world, from quirky quadricycles to luxury MPVs. He was previously the content editor for DrivingElectric and won the Newspress Automotive Journalist Rising Star award in 2022.

Find a car with the experts

Skip advert
Advertisement

Recommended

Lamborghini Temerario: next-generation V8 supercar gets £260k price tag
Lamborghini Temerario on display at  Monterey Car Week - front 3/4 static

Lamborghini Temerario: next-generation V8 supercar gets £260k price tag

The successor to the Huracan loses displacement but gains twin-turbochargers
News
20 Dec 2024
Monterey Car Week 2024: full show round-up and all the exclusive, luxury and performance cars
Pebble Beach Tour d'Elegance

Monterey Car Week 2024: full show round-up and all the exclusive, luxury and performance cars

Some of the most iconic car brands lined up to unveil new metal in Monterey
News
20 Aug 2024
New Tuthill GT One debuts at Monterey Car Week
Tuthill GT One - front static

New Tuthill GT One debuts at Monterey Car Week

Clearly inspired by the legendary Le Mans Porsche 911 GT1, Tuthill’s latest creation takes 3,500 hours to build
News
19 Aug 2024
New Pagani Utopia Roadster makes its Monterey Car Week debut
Pagani Utopia Roadster on display at 2024 Monterey Car Week - front 3/4 static

New Pagani Utopia Roadster makes its Monterey Car Week debut

Pagani’s follow-up to its Utopia flagship has lost its roof but none of the glamour
News
19 Aug 2024

Most Popular

New Kia PV5 Passenger MPV undercuts the VW ID.Buzz by a huge £25k
Kia PV5 Passenger - show front

New Kia PV5 Passenger MPV undercuts the VW ID.Buzz by a huge £25k

New entry into the electric people carrier market undercuts the VW ID. Buzz by a significant margin
News
29 Apr 2025
Car Deal of the Day: BMW’s ultimate luxury SUV at an unusually low price
BMW X7 - front

Car Deal of the Day: BMW’s ultimate luxury SUV at an unusually low price

German firm’s flagship SUV could never be called cheap but it is exceptional value at £735 a month – making it our Deal of the Day for Sunday 27 April
News
27 Apr 2025
New 2025 Kia PV5 van starts from a tempting £22,645
Kia PV5 Cargo on display at Commercial Vehicle Show - front 3/4

New 2025 Kia PV5 van starts from a tempting £22,645

All-new entry into the van market promises competitive pricing and comes with a range of up to 247 miles
News
30 Apr 2025