Artof Drive | Zenvo ST1
Denmark: synonymous with Vikings and pastries, but surely not supercars?
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ofZen Think again. Gautam Sharma finagled an exclusive thrash in the Zenvo ST1 PHOTOgRAPHY bahr al-alum karim
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Drive | Zenvo ST1
i
lost my thousand-horsepower virginity last month (after an eyeopening four-hour blast in the Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport), but to have the chance to slide my butt into another four-figure monster mere weeks later seemed about as likely as me becoming Paris Hilton’s new BFF. Yet, here we are, surveying the outlandish-looking Zenvo ST1 as it sits quietly, menacingly, against the stillness of the vast sandy expanse well beyond Dubai’s urban jungle. And when I say “we”, I mean yours truly, lensman Bahr Karim and chief assistant/phantom-flasher Richard “the Egg-Meister” Eggleton. Also in tow is virtually the entire Zenvo brains trust (Jesper Jensen, Troels Vollersten and Lasse Stenkilde) and Ali Salman from Ultimate Motors – the regional distributor for the ultra-low-volume Danish marque. The original plan was to cane the Zenvo up to the mountainous terrain of Khor Fakkan, but things haven’t quite gone to schedule, so we opt instead for a secret stretch of road that’s ideal for some uninterrupted lenswork. There’s also a nice open ribbon of tarmac devoid of party-pooper, revenue-raising cameras… perfect for cranking up the wick in the ST1.
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However, before I can even entertain any notions of having the musclebound coupé teetering on the ragged edge, Zenvo technical guru Vollersten issues the following stern commands: “No sliding around corners, nothing over 230km/h… and if you bend it, I’m gonna give you a facial reconstruction more extreme than anything Michael Jackson ever had done.” Okay, these aren’t his exact words, but it’s the implied message. The protective instincts are understandable. After all, this car is a prototype – the only one in the world – and even the eventual production run of the ST1 will number a mere 15 cars, each requiring its owner to part with in excess of $1.2m. “Who or what is Zenvo?” you might ask. And it would be a fair question, too, as even I had never heard of the small Danish concern until a few months ago. The story behind Zenvo is a bit of a David-and-Goliath tale, as the company was started by a trio of blokes who decided to attempt what the likes of Bugatti, Pagani and Koenigsegg had done before them – build a horizonshrinking ultra-supercar that occupies the rarefied micro-niche above Lambos and Ferraris. Vollersten, who has a background in preparing race cars, had been toying with the idea for 10 years, ◊
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‘the zenvo st1 sits quietly, menacingly, against the stillness of the vast sandy expanse...’
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Zenvo ST1 isn’t meant for pussyfooting... you need to grab it by the scruff of the neck
∆ but research and development for the prototype didn’t begin until 2004. The objective, according to company boss Jensen, was not to build a road rocket that could outdo the Veyron in terms of raw pace (although the claimed figures – 0-100km/h in 3.0sec and 375km/h v-max – aren’t too shabby). Instead, the idea was to come up with a car that could easily be driven everyday, yet which could also double as a track weapon. And rather than have an aerooptimised shape dictated by the wind tunnel, the folks at Zenvo were more intent on striking, unconventional looks that would bring peak-hour traffic to a standstill. The ST1 was initially designed as a rolling chassis, built around a steel backbone with double-wishbone suspension and three-way Öhlins adjustable dampers. The massive supercharged/turbocharged V8 was positioned longitudinally directly behind the passenger cell, and the armoury of radiators and other ancillaries were then scattered around the car. Once all the hardware was in place and functioning to their satisfaction, the Zenvo crew called on Danish designer Christian Brandt, who was given a brief on the look they had in mind. A series of sketches was followed by a quarter-scale clay model, and then a full-scale model. It looked quite different in full-size, said Jensen, and this necessitated further tweaks to come up with a design they all approved of. Eventually, the stage was set to go to 3D and produce the moulds. Rather than going the traditional route and hand-building the prototype, the test mule’s carbonfibre bodywork was fabricated via the company’s newly developed automated moulding process. That said, Jensen is quick to point out the prototype’s rather large and irregular panel gaps are in no way indicative of what the production-spec car will be like. The white test mule pictured on these pages hasn’t been wrapped up in cotton wool (it’s allegedly clocked up more than 70,000km – a lot of these at pace), yet it isn’t by any means on its last legs. The interior trim is in remarkably good condition, and when I comment on this, Jensen concedes the driver’s seat has been reupholstered – as so many bums have slid in and out of it – but the rest of the trim and upholstery is original.
The supercharged/turbocharged V8 is roused into action by twisting an “Ignition” knob on the centre console to the right, depressing the clutch and then pressing the Start button atop the chunky piston-shaped gearlever while simultaneously giving the gas pedal a generous prod or two. The 7.0-litre motor erupts into life with a raucous bark, but it immediately settles into a civilised idle. The clutch doesn’t call for Schwarzenegger-esque quadriceps, but slotting the six-speed Ricardo gearbox into first gear (or any other ratio) requires a firm hand. Vollersten explains the gearshift linkages are a bit worn on the prototype car, and that a new set (which hasn’t yet arrived) would make for far easier shifting. The ST1 moves off from rest smoothly, easily, and first impressions once on the go are dominated by the supercharger whine emanating from behind my noggin. After getting comfortable behind the wheel, I begin to explore the performance reserves. The ST1 has three engine modes – Normal, Sport and Race – liberating 650hp, 850hp and 1104hp respectively; and selection of any of these is a mere twist-knob away. Traction control is fully operational in Normal mode, and partially so in Sport… but you’re on your own in the full-power Race mode. Gulp… The seat of my pants tells me even the 650bhp setting will be enough to see off most comers in the TLGP (traffic-lights grand prix), provided you’re deft enough with your clutch and gearchange work. This is no Honda S2000-style rifle-bolt gearchange requiring mere flicks of the wrist. Instead, you need to manhandle the alloy knob from one ratio to the next as shifts are neither light nor quick (but perhaps the new linkages alluded to earlier would help). The engine’s power delivery is relatively smooth and progressive – there’s no alarming peaks or troughs – but the blown V8 doesn’t particularly enjoy lugging at low speeds in high gear. This, plus the stubbornness of the manual gearbox, suggests the six-speed paddle-shift sequential – an Xtrac unit – will be the better choice for most. It would also enable you to keep both hands on the wheel… helpful when you’re transmitting the full quota of torque to the rear wheels. ◊
Angry snout is a refreshing departure from mainstream supercars
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Zenvo ST1 | Drive
‘The sea seaT T of my panTs Tells me even The basic 650bhp seTTing will be enough To see off mos mosT T comers’
POWERHOUSE As with any über-supercar, the heart and soul of the Zenvo is its engine – a thunderous supercharged and turbocharged 7.0-litre V8 that’s loosely derived from an LSX crate engine from the gm Performance Parts division. The alloy block is cast in the US, but Zenvo installs its own heads, crank, pistons and conrods to cope with the huge loads. The big V8 is fed by an Eaton supercharger, as well as a garrett gT47 turbocharger, and Zenvo techhead Troels Vollertsen says this combo eliminates the lag inherent in turbo engines. The engine-driven supercharger provides boost from idling speeds, while the turbo kicks in seamlessly as revs rise. The engine has been tested on a dyno at 50 degrees, but the car is yet to be subjected to the blast furnace that constitutes a middle East summer. Zenvo boss Jensen says the ST1 should fare okay as it’s equipped with eight radiators, plus the obvious oil coolers for the engine and transmission.
This car is a prototype, but detailing is still of a respectably high standard. Production-spec car will raise the bar higher, say company execs February 2010 WWW.AUTOCARmAg.COm 53
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‘full-throttle shifts are accompanied by a twitch from the chassis as 1430nm of twisting force attempts to unstick the rear rubber’ AC71_48-55_Zen.indd 54
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Zenvo ST1 | Drive
WHat NEXt? Just getting the process this far down the line has been a monumental feat, but the Zenvo crew (Jesper Jensen, Troels Vollersten and Lasse Stenkilde) aren’t done just yet. The ST1, of which just 15 will be built, will be followed by the ST2, which is likely to be a convertible. Jensen says developing the ST2 will be a much simpler process, as the ST1 has paved the way for it. Incidentally, even the 15-unit production run won’t be sufficient to recoup the funds invested in developing and building the car. Of the 15, five are destined for the middle East, with the remainder going to Europe (5), the US (2), India (1), Russia (1) and China (1). The Zenvo crew also have an eye on the Nürburgring lap record for production cars, with the current luminaries being the gumpert Apollo Speed (7min 11.5sec) and the Dodge Viper ACR (7min 22.1sec). In keeping with their can-do attitude, the Danes are quietly confident…
∆In no-holds-barred 1104bhp mode, the ST1 is virtually as quick as anything I’ve ever driven…Veyron included. However, where the Bugatti cossets you and insulates you from much of the violence taking place in the engine room, the Zenvo assaults you with an aural and physical battering. In the full-house 1104hp mode the ST1 opens up flaps in the exhaust, which means noise levels instantly escalate to conversation-killing levels, and full-throttle gearshifts are accompanied by a slight twitch from the chassis as 1430Nm of twisting force does its best to unstick the steamroller rear tyres from the bitumen. My gut feeling is that the ST1 would demand Schumacher-esque levels of skill on wet roads. The brakes are massive Brembos (380mm at the front and 355mm at the rear), but given that I’m being intensely scrutinised by Vollersten, I resist the urge to stomp all over them. I also manage – and this was harder – to resist the desire to gas it up through roundabouts to get some feel for grip/ traction levels. Limboing out of the Zenvo’s lowslung cabin after a preliminary blast, I’m faced by an expectant Jensen and crew, who collectively ask: “So, what do you think?” I blurt out the first thing that comes to mind: “Er… this feels like a real old-school musclecar.” It was my honest impression, as to me the ST1 feels like a really, really fast Corvette Z06. It has that same rawness and brutality about it. And it conveys the same impression that you’d better have your wits about you, or you’ll end up throwing it at the scenery. Rather than hitting me over the head with the first heavy object at hand, Jensen and Vollersten seem pleased with my response, saying this is exactly the feel they wanted to instil. Modern supercars, they argue, are too sanitised and isolate the driver from the action. So the Danes set out to create a car that demands to be driven and which
rewards you with ample feedback. On this score, they’ve succeeded. The Zenvo requires concentration. It’s not a no-brainer car like the Veyron, which is barely more difficult to drive than a VW Golf. Yet, the folks from Zenvo say the ST1 is not so challenging that it can’t be used on the road. We even manage a bit of off-roading of sorts as getting to our photo-shoot location requires us to traverse a section that can scarcely be described as “road”. The carbonfibre front splitter sits barely millimetres off the deck, but ride height can be raised by 50mm at the press of a button. However, even this isn’t enough for Dubai’s more extreme speed humps – as we discover while scraping over a couple of the nasty blighters. Ride quality is somewhere between firm and rock-hard, but the production car will have a choice of three settings – Comfort, Normal and Sport. Vollersten says shock-absorber specialist Öhlins could provide up to 30 settings for their dampers, but this would be just too much choice for most owners. At the end of the day, its uniqueness and staggering on-paper stats will be the ST1’s biggest magnets for potential buyers. And then there’s the Zenvo’s couldn’t-miss-it-if-you-were-blind looks. With an assortment of curves and creases that distinguish it as anything but formulaic, the ST1 can’t help but shout its intentions. If you don’t like attention, you’d better shop elsewhere. I quite like it as it blends edgy, contemporary design with classic musclecar proportions. The ST1 appears as though it wants to chew up and swallow the road through its large hexagonal grille. Is the Zenvo special enough to warrant its exorbitant pricetag? To be honest, I can’t quite see $1.2m worth of value, but perhaps the lure of being one of only 15 people to own an ST1 will be the clincher. Those that miss the boat will have to hold out for the ST2… L
Vitals
factfilE
ST1 is unconventional... yet visually appealing
ZENVO ST1 Engine
7.0-litre V8 (supercharged and turbocharged) Power 1104bhp at 6900rpm Torque 1430Nm at 4500rpm Transmission Six-speed manual Brakes Brembo (380mm front; 355mm rear) Wheels/Tyres 19-inch/20-inch forged aluminium rims with 265/35 Y19 tyres (front) and 335/30 Y20 (rear) Length 4665mm Width 2041mm Height 1198mm Wheelbase 3055mm Kerb weight 1376kg 0-100km/h 3.0sec (claimed) Top speed 375km/h (claimed) Price From $1.22m On sale Taking orders now
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