November 2022 saw Rimac Automobili release videos of the Nevera electric hypercar clocking 412 kilometers per hour (256 miles per hour) at the Automotive Testing Papenburg facility in Germany. As you might have guessed by now, the Nevera is the world's fastest electric hypercar.
Wait, scratch that! The Nevera was the world's fastest electric hypercar because Aspark has bested the Croatian model at the very same proving ground. According to Manifattura Automobili Torino, the newcomer has reached a stupendous 438.7 kilometers per hour, meaning just around 273 miles per hour.
Before going any further, it should be mentioned that Aspark is a Japanese company while Manifattura Automobili Torino produces the quad-motor electric vehicle in Italy. The OWL SP600 is a production-intent prototype derived from the Owl, which came out in 2017 as a concept, 2019 as a prototype, and 2020 as a production vehicle.
Rimac enthusiasts are likely to highlight that production-intent prototype is a completely different animal from production vehicle. Many exterior and interior details make it an engineering exercise rather than a road-legal vehicle, but looking at the bigger picture, it's not merely a marketing exercise. Battery-electric vehicles are getting faster and faster as BEV technology advances. Tesla comes to mind with the second-generation Roadster, whose advertised top end is over 250 mph (402 kph). Unfortunately, Tesla hasn't delivered a single Roadster 2.0 despite showcasing the damn thing in November 2017.
How does it stack up against the original Roadster? That depends on the year because models equipped with the 2-speed Magna box are good for 130 mph (210 kph) while models with the 1-speed BorgWarner box are rated at 125 mph (201 kph).
Photo: Matteo Teti for Aspark
Turning our attention back to Aspark's latest evolution of the Owl, the OWL SP600 is quite a bit faster than its predecessor. The Owl has been proven to 257 miles per hour (413 kilometers per hour), which makes it around 16 mph slower than the OWL SP600. We also have to remember that Bugatti used to make quad-turbo W16 monsters capable of up to 304.773 mph (490.484 kph) at the Volkswagen Group's Ehra-Lessien testing facility in Germany.
In stark contrast to Croatia's Rimac – which calls the shots at Bugatti nowadays – and Japan's Aspark, the French automaker has formally stopped chasing speed records. The Chiron-replacing hypercar is more about handling and emotion rather than outright speed, with Rimac deciding on a naturally aspirated V16 with serious hybrid assistance to the detriment of the Chiron's 8.0L quad-turbo W16.
Bugatti and Rimac both used Michelin tires on their high-speed runs for the Nevera and Chiron Super Sport 300+. The Osaka-based automaker, on the other hand, is pictured with Bridgestone Potenza rubber developed specifically for this application.
Bridgestone vice president Steven De Bock, Manifattura Automobili Torino chief executive officer Paolo Garella, and Aspark chief executive officer Masanori Yoshida were there when the OWL SP600 broke the record for the world's fastest electric hypercar on June 8, 2024. Its maker has yet to announce how many units will be produced, how many ponies and pound-feet can be summoned, and the base price of the hugely impressive OWL SP600.
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
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