Monday, July 30, 2018

Brother, can you spare 2 million Euros? Then you just might be able to get one of the 99 MILAN RED hypercars that will be produced.

MILAN RED hypercar
Photo: MILAN Automotive GmbH
The MILAN RED, a new hypercar from the Austria-based startup MILAN Automotive GmbH, made its official debut at the company’s first official press conference last Thursday.

Sorry if you find the ALL CAPS in the name of the company and the automobile distracting. Apparently the manufacturer insists on it—at least that’s how it appears in their press materials.

Given the 2 million Euro price tag of the company’s debut model, perhaps it is fitting that the venue chosen for the press conference unveiling this car for the 0.1 percent would look very much at home in the Stanley Kubrick film Eyes Wide Shut: the historic Burg Kreuzenstein, a medieval castle in Leobendorf, Austria, which passed into the possession of the Hapsburg line in the 13th Century.

Split screen photo of Burg Kreuzenstein and Mentmore Towers
Left: Burg Kreuzenstein in Leobendorf, Austria, where the
new MILAN RED was unveiled during a press conference. Photo
©Bwag/Wikimedia. Right: Mentmore Towers, which was featured
in the film Eyes Wide Shut. Photo: Swanker/Wikimedia.
In their press release, the automaker said that the production run for the MILAN RED will be extremely limited, with only 99 examples to be produced. Why not at least make it an even 100? Hmmm. Maybe the number 99 has some mysterious significance for the 0.1 percent. Oops. Here we are, venturing into woo-woo Eyes Wide Shut territory again.

Meanwhile, a quote from CEO Markus Fux fits right into the royal theme: “Nowadays you can drive an artistic car, a high-tech-monster, a throne on four wheels—or a car, that only serves one purpose: stealing everyone the show. And this is where we come into play.”

The MILAN RED indeed boasts some impressive specs in exchange for the 2 million Euros you’ll have to fork over to be one of the privileged 99. The 6.3 liter V8 quad turbo power plant makes 1,325 horsepower, in a vehicle that weighs in at 1,300 kg. It accelerates from zero to 100 kph in 2.47 seconds, with a top speed of 400 kph.

Describing the team of companies responsible for the hypercar’s underlying technology, the automaker stated in their press release that “The bloodline of MILAN RED reads like the who is who of Austria's leading companies in the automotive sector.”

Hmmm again. Bloodline? Now there’s another interesting word choice.

Perhaps quite fitting to all of the above language is one of the car’s tech features highlighted in the announcement: an interior design that includes a device that renders a “visualisation of the driver's heartbeat.”

Well that’s, um, different. But then again, for 2 million Euros…

According to the automaker, 18 MILAN REDS have been pre-sold thus far.

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