Hulme plans to put its Spyder into production as soon as possible

New Zealand is not only a gorgeous country full of nice people. It is also the home of a new supercar, made by a company named to pay homage to Denis Hulme, the only New Zealander pilot to ever win a F1 championship. And the car is as extraordinary as the pilot, beginning with its appearance.



Spyder, as the car has been called, is a 4.61 m long, 1.96 m wide and 1.10 m high two-seater coupe, with a wheelbase of 2.83 m. Its first derivative, CanAm, is powered by a 5-litre V8 engine that once powered the M5, able to pump out 550 bhp and installed in front of the rear axle, what makes this car a mid-engined vehicle. It weighs 1,175 kg, what could assure great performance numbers but Hulme has not disclosed any information on them so far. Spyder, on the other hand, is expected to use a stronger engine, the LS9 V8 that powers the Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 and produces more than 650 bhp, according to Jock Freemantle, Hulme's CEO.

The company intends to produce 25 cars a year when production starts. There will be three models of the car: CanAm, a Spyder with no windshield, Spyder and F1. Production was predicted to start in 2007, but things did not occur like they were planned due to lack of funding. According to Freemantle, investors are starting to believe the project. Each vehicle will cost 310,000 pounds.

Text modified in 03-02-09.

Source: Hulme Supercars via Motor Authority