The Perrinn 424 is the brainchild of Nicolas Perrinn, a
former Williams F1 engineer who’s set about developing a new LMP1 racer powered
entirely by electricity alone.
To get there, Perrinn has reportedly secured a
contract with an undisclosed supplier to fit three Formula E-spec electric
motors into the chassis. While the engines are limited by regulations to 268 hp
apiece, here they’re applied to their full potential, unleashing a total
combined output of 1,000 horsepower.
The motors are powered by nine modules of 64
off-the-shelf batteries, weighing a combined 880 pounds and extending the
vehicle’s length by nearly 8 inches. But without an internal-combustion engine
on board, the total weight of the vehicle is projected to come in under 2,650
lbs – some 730 pounds lighter than a hybrid prototype like Toyota’s TS050.
Perrinn targets a 0-62 time of two seconds flat and
a top speed of 220 mph. But the team’s not ready to put the car on the grid
just yet. First it has to raise funding, and then there’s the matter of battery
life. With the financial resources in place, Perrinn aims to continue
developing the platform every year until battery capacity allows it to go the
full race distance without having to recharge or swap battery packs. That’s
projected to take another four or five years, so it may be 2023 before the
Perrinn 424 is ready to race at Le Mans.
Along the way, Perrinn aims to shatter existing EV
lap records. The 424 is targeted to lap the Circuit de La Sarthe, where the 24
Hours of Le Mans is held, in 3:24 – almost a minute faster than the current EV
record. It also aims to lap the Nürburgring in 6:25 (down from the current
6:45.9 EV lap record), Paul Ricard in 1:40 (from 1:52.78), the Circuit of the
Americas in 1:50 (from 2:11.3), and Shanghai in 1:46 (from 2:01.1). The record
attempts are slated to get underway in 2019/2020.
