Regardless of who your favourite superhero was, at some point during your childhood (and maybe even now!), you wondered what it would be like to own a Bat Mobil. Batman’s car has to be one of the coolest vehicles ever made! Matte black with lines and edges across the enter length and width of the body that all had a purpose, even if that purpose was just to make it look kick-ass. In Michael Keaton’s version of Batman, the car had a swopping long bonnet that was characterised by a centrally located aeroplane engine. Possibly the most intimidating Bat Mobil though was featured in Christian Bale’s version of the superhero and it was a mini-tank that had the military utilitarian design. Now there is a production vehicle that could pass as the baddest Bat Mobil ever!
Fast ‘n Furious fans, as well as serious gamers, would have seen snippets of this car in action… the one and only Lykan HyberSport. Maybe not “only” because there are 7 units in existence making it one of the rarest automobiles in the world. The third most expensive car on planet earth, its price tag of $3.4 million will quickly see your bank account’s moola become a rare commodity too! It is built by W Motors, a Lebanese based company founded in 2012. It is the first supercar to be produced in the Middle East. Not surprising then that It is the first car to feature headlights embedded jewels! The headlights literally contain titanium LED blades with 420 diamonds (15 carats) although buyers can also choose from a selection of rubies, clear diamonds, yellow diamonds, and sapphires to be integrated into the vehicle’s headlights.
This car is not all looks and no brawn though… The Lykan HyperSport is powered by a twin turbo flat-six 3.7-litre (3746 cc) engine which they have somehow managed to extract a whopping 552 kW (740 bhp; 751 PS) and 960 N·m (708 lb·ft) of torque from! To put this into perspective, the insanely quick Nissan GTR which is propelled by a similarly sized six-cylinder 3.8-litre twin turbo (in a V configuration) produces just 362kW (404kW in the most powerful version) and some 588 N.m of torque. The Lykan’s claimed top speed is 385 km/h (239 mph) and it accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h (0 to 62 mph) in 2.8 seconds much like the Bugatti Veyron.
Make no mistake though, there is no other car like the Lykan HyperSport in terms of looks or character. This is a car that at first sight will bring all your childhood memories racing through your mind. It’s the type of car you would want to pull up in anywhere, anytime!
Writer: Katlego Modipane