French boutique automaker Genty Automobile is putting the final touches on a sleek supercar called Akylone.
The Akylone was previewed by a 1/3-scale model presented at last year’s edition of the prestigious Top Marques show. The supercar wears a powerful, low-slung design characterized by a swooping front end, sculpted body panels and a wrap-around windshield. G-shaped LED tail lamps and two center-mounted exhaust pipes finish off the look.
Fitted with a chassis crafted out of a mix of carbon fiber and aluminum, the Akylone tips the scale at just 1088 kg. 58-percent of the car’s mass lies on the rear axle and 42-percent is on the front.
Power comes from a 4.8-liter twin-turbocharged V8 engine developed in-house Reinhard Könneker, an engineer whose resume includes positions at Porsche, BMW and Mercedes-Benz. The eight-cylinder sends just over 1,200 horsepower and 861 lb-ft. of torque to the rear wheels via a seven-speed sequential gearbox and a limited-slip differential, enabling the Akylone to reach 100 kmph from a stop in 2.7 seconds and go on to a top speed of 355 kmph.
Interestingly, Genty Automobile is hoping to bring the project to fruition by using crowdfunding platforms in France and in the United States. The automaker is aiming to raise enough money to build a fully-functional life-sized Akylone and take it on a tour of the United States, Russia, Qatar and China to reach potential investors and buyers.Genty will build a total of 15 Akylone coupes and 10 Akylone roadsters in a small town in central France called Saint-Pourçain-sur-Sioule. The first Akylone will be assembled by the end of the year if the crowdfunding project is successful.