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But Talk Is Cheap. To much applause, the covers were pulled off the Arab world’s first hypercar at the recent Qatar Motor Show, with much talk about a regional challenge to the likes of Lamborghini and Bugatti. Amidst all of the buzz surrounding the Lykan Hypersport, perennial sceptic James McCarthy remains hopeful that W Motors will deliver on its promise, and not be just another gimmicky flash-in-the-pan.
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he question on most of its competitors’ lips at the recent Qatar Motor Show was, “how Arabic is the Arab world’s first hypercar?” Considering that the bodywork, chassis and engine of the W Motors Lykan Hypersport are all produced in Germany and put together in Italy, it might seem that the Lebanon-based company is stretching the regional credentials of the car a bit far. However, there is absolutely no doubt that Lykan Hypersport is Arabic in spirit, if not entirely in body. Priced at an eye-watering $3.4m, it is expensive enough to show the world you are a man of means. With only seven being built, it most definitely has the exclusivity so desperately craved by the GCC’s wealthy. With headlights encrusted with diamonds, sapphires emeralds and rubies, as well as solid gold wire stitching in the upholstery, it is most certainly bling enough to cater to certain regional tastes. There is even a whiff of local arrogance about the way the company claims that it will choose the seven worthy owners of its flagship car. Quite bold for a first foray into the reasonably saturated super sports car market. Bold, it seems, is very much the watchword, particularly with its performance claims. W Motors says that the carbon composite Lykan, which looks like some illicit automotive husbandry has been undertaken with a Lamborghini, a McLaren and a Koenigsegg, is capable of delivering 750bhp from a twin turbo boxer type flat six engine, built by RUF Automobile in Germany, with a 0-100km/h sprint time of 2.8 seconds and a top speed
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of 385km/h. According to company bigwigs, these are tried and tested statistics, even though the unit on show was still just a static model. Perhaps the most Arabic characteristic of the Lykan, though, is the company’s belief that anything is possible if you are willing to make the investment. Clearly, there is no way that W Motors is making its six-years’ worth of R&D money back on just seven cars, even at such an astronomical price. In fact, CEO Ralph Debbas admits that, if it was only a short term project, the company would be making a staggering loss on each car. However, like many leaders in the region, he has a vision. “It is a ten year programme,” he explained to me on the company’s stand in Doha. “We are already working on the successor to the Lykan Hypersport, a car that will be announced
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in November this year at the Dubai Motor Show, The Supersport edition, which will be cheaper at $1.8m and will have a production run of 25-30 units worldwide. “After that we plan to launch a new model each year after,” he continued. “Then we will have one-off editions, so we can tweak it and design it for clients who want a car that is totally unique to them.” It doesn’t stop there, Debbas is looking to establish research and design centres in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Qatar, all within a year, in order to create the first Middle Eastern hub for automotive technology. “W Motors isn’t just building cars, we are developing new technologies as well - like the hologram integrated inside the Lykan - we are the only ones in the world with this technology, so these are the many things we are trying to promote through this first vehicle.”
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Ah yes, the hologram. While extensive details weren’t available, the console of the Lykan will include the automotive world’s first holographic display system with interactive motion, developed in conjunction with ID4Motion. Essentially this means that, with simple hand gestures, the driver can control the multimedia interface and certain vehicle control systems. As cool as that sounds, I am still not sure that motorists in the region need any further distractions when they are driving. A revolutionary system that disables cell phones from all but Bluetooth connectivity or physically restrains children in their car seats might be more appropriate technology. That aside, Debbas’ intentions are admirable and his bold vision ambitious, but it all rests on the company doing that most un-regional of things and delivering the product on time. If W Motors pulls it off and meets its October deadline for delivery of the car - and fulfils its promise of putting one on the track at Yas Marina in Abu Dhabi - then the motoring world will be completely convinced that this is a lasting venture. The truth of the matter is that so few automotive startups, many with much less ambition than W Motors, actually make it past the first few years. Those that do can struggle for decades before capitulating. You only have to look at the likes of TVR, AC and Bugatti (which was dead and buried before being resurrected by Ferdinand Piëch and VW Group) to see that even long-established marques can fall foul to the vagaries of the luxury car market. Even Aston Martin has spent the
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best part of the last two decades lurching between fiscal crises and different owners before achieving its current, albeit fragile, stability. So, while we here at SLT hope that Debbas and his extraordinary car can buck the trend, talk, as they say, is cheap. If that turns out to be the case with W Motors, then the Lykan could prove to be a very costly statement indeed.
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