Ares Design has
unveiled its most audacious vehicle to date. It is currently known as the S
Project and is based on the Chevrolet C8 Corvette. The first thing that grabs
your attention is the design. Not only does it share nothing in common with the
vehicle on what it is based but it also looks unlike anything else on the road.
In fact, it looks more like a concept car than something that will actually be
produced.
For starters, the front end is incredibly
low and has massive wheel arches. The cabin is also low and compact, while the
rear end is elongated and features tailpipes exiting directly out of the engine
bay. The Ares S Project also has a single LED light bar out back with does have
some resemblance to the one on the Bugatti Chiron. If you Google the Porsche
Electric Le Mans 2035 Prototype, you’ll also notice some clear design
similarities between it and what Ares has created.
While Ares Design could have simply called
it a day with the shapely new exterior and left the Corvette parts untouched,
it’s done quite the opposite. Speaking with Top Gear, Ares Design chief
executive Dany Bahar revealed that the C8’s 6.2-liter V8 has been upgraded to
705 hp at 6,450 rpm and 969 Nm of torque at 5,150 rpm, all without
forced induction. The engine also revs to 9,000 rpm and is mated to an
eight-speed dual-clutch transmission, a limited-slip differential and
rear-wheel drive.
Bahar is remaining tight-lipped on how
such extraordinary figures have been achieved without forced induction: “That
remains a secret between our supplier in the USA and us. It’s all mechanical
modifications though, you can’t do this through software. The sound it makes
takes inspiration from old F1 V10s, very high tonality.”
Ares Design intends on building 24
examples over the next two years with prices starting at around € 500,000
(US$ 591,000).
