This New Hypercar Is a 1,070 HP Beast With a V-12 Engine and Manual Transmission

This new automotive startup is a bit of a throwback.

Nilu27, a new marque headed by designer Sasha Selipanov, has just unveiled its first model, the Nilu. The name may be a little awkward, but a naturally aspirated V-12 and manual transmission make this the sort of supercar the stuff of purist’s dreams.

The company may just be getting its start, but it has quite the pedigree as far as supercars concerned. That’s because Selipanov, who founded the brand with his wife Inna, has worked on some of the finest supercars of the century, including the Bugatti Chiron, the Lamborghini Huracán, and the Koenigsegg Gemera and CC850. With the Nilu, he’s taken what he learned from its predecessors and turned everything up to 11.

The marque’s first vehicle is one of the more eye-catching automobiles we’ve seen this year. It features a heavily sculpted body with a giant shark’s mouth up front, giant NACA ducts along the side, and a set of gullwing doors that reveal a stripped-down interior with minimal screens and a gated shifter. The most striking feature, though, is the exposed engine in the back, that gives the rear of the vehicle an almost spaceship-like quality.

It’s easy to see why Selipanov would want to show off the Nilu’s unique “Hot V” mill, which was developed in collaboration with New Zeland’s Harley Engine. The car is powered by a naturally aspirated 80-degree V-12 mated to a seven-speed manual gearbox that pumps out 1,070 hp, 634 ft lbs of torque, and redlines at 10,000 rpm. That last figure suggests that Nilu’s engine will rev like an electric motor. The exhaust and intake positions have been swapped so that the former exits out of the top of the powerplant in a unique “Hot V” configuration. The automaker claims the setup will be able to push the vehicle from zero to 60 mph in under three seconds and top out at around 250 mph.

Intrigued? Nilu27 intends to show off its first vehicle on the ramp at Pebble Beach during this year’s Monterey Car Week. The company currently plans to build just 15 examples of the car. Pricing has yet to be announced but we imagine it’ll be plenty steep. Anyone hoping to try out the car without buying will be able to do so in Zynga’s mobile video game, CSR Racing 2, later this year.

Click here for more photos of the Nilu27 Nilu.