Ariel HIPERCAR History

HIPERCAR (High Performance Carbon Reduction) was announced in August 2017 as Ariel's departure from the open exoskeletal formula into a closed-body electric hypercar. Developed with Equipmake, the production-intent car uses four axial-flux motors producing a combined 880 kW (approximately 1,180 bhp) in four-wheel-drive form, or 440 kW (590 bhp) in two-wheel-drive mode. The claimed 0–60 mph time is around 2.1 seconds.

An optional Cosworth-built gas turbine range extender mounts at the rear, generating 35 kW to extend the car's 150-mile WLTP pure-electric range on the move — Ariel's practical solution to the weight and cost of larger battery packs in a road-legal track hypercar. Battery costs exceeding the price of the rest of the car combined contributed to repeated programme delays.

A substantially revised production-intent specification was revealed in 2024, with Ariel indicating a target price of approximately £1,000,000. As of mid-2025 the company had not confirmed a firm customer-delivery date, making the HIPERCAR Ariel's longest-running development programme by a considerable margin.