Prodrive has revealed the Hunter, a 600 bhp, four-wheel drive all-terrain adventure vehicle with an unrivalled ability and performance across any landscape.
Born out of the Bahrain Raid Xtreme competition car driven by nine-time World Champion, Sebastien Loeb, to compete on the toughest motorsport race in the world the Dakar, it thrives in desert sand, dunes and rough mountain tracks. Indeed, this Hunter is even more extreme than that driven by Loeb, with a 50% increase in power from the 3.5 litre V6 twin turbo engine and more suspension travel to absorb the harshest of terrain.
But while the car is even faster and more capable than the race car, it is also more refined. Ian Callum, who styled the exterior of the original competition car, has returned to the project to create a new interior more in keeping with every day use than racing. A digital display gives the driver all the important information they need, while the centre console houses the more traditional controls found on a road car.
The Hunter is the product of over 40 years of successful off-road competition at Prodrive whose chairman, David Richards, said: “There are numerous hypercars on the market, however they all need good roads or even race tracks to show their performance. We identified that in certain parts of the world, particularly the Middle East, there are vast expanses still to be explored that go way beyond the access provided by asphalt roads. Therefore why not create a vehicle that gives the opportunity to explore these regions with performance way beyond that offered by any off-road vehicle before.”
The Hunter retains the Dakar competition car’s engine, drivetrain and suspension, but to improve driveability, the manual sequential gear box has been replaced by a six-speed paddle shift, giving a smooth gear change in just milliseconds.
As the hypercar does not have to comply with strict competition regulations power has been increased by more than 50%. The 3.5 litre twin turbo V6 has been refined and retuned on Prodrive’s advanced transient dyno in Banbury, UK to produce over 600 bhp and 700 Nm of torque while making its power delivery smoother and easier to drive.
Prodrive estimates that this would give it a 0-100 kph time in less than four seconds and a top speed of nearly 300 kph, however the vehicle is fitted with bespoke 35” off-road tyres designed to optimise grip over rough terrain and sand rather than on tarmac.
Richards said: “We took the deliberate decision to keep the Hunter Hypercar as close to the original as possible. It’s about giving owners the opportunity to experience what it is like to drive Loeb’s Dakar car across the desert, but with all the comforts of a road car and the ability to drive it from your home, through a city, to any destination of your choice.”
The whole car is built around a high tensile steel space frame chassis, giving both a rigid platform to optimise the suspension geometry and performance and an FIA standard safety cage to protect the occupants.
The all-round double wishbone suspension with twin adjustable dampers on each corner has 400mm of travel – an increase from 350mm on the competition car – to give a smoother ride and even greater ability to cross the roughest terrain at speeds unimaginable in any other vehicle. Six pot racing brake calipers and vented discs all round give it plenty of stopping power both on and off-road.
The whole vehicle has been designed to minimise overall weight and optimise the weight distribution and centre of gravity. All the bodywork is made from lightweight carbon composite, which includes recycled materials produced by Prodrive Composites.
Richards said: “The first development vehicle is currently touring the Middle East where customers are being offered the opportunity of driving the Hunter and confirming their personal specification for production vehicles to be delivered later this year.”
SPECIFICATION
ENGINE
- Front-mid 3.5 litre V6 twin turbo
- Single plenum/throttle
- Dry sump
- Power over 600 bhp
- Torque 700 Nm
TRANSMISSION
- 4 wheel drive
- Six-speed paddle shift gearbox
- Front, centre and rear differentials
CHASSIS
- High strength steel tubular structure
- Carbon fibre composite bodywork including recycled materials
SUSPENSION
- Double wishbone
- Two adjustable dampers per wheel
INTERIOR
- Carbon fibre seats
- Six-point safety harness
- Dual fire extinguisher system
- Lightweight lithium-ion battery
FUEL SYSTEM
- 480 litre in safety cell
BRAKES
- Six pot calipers front & rear
- Vented discs
WHEEL & TYRES
- 8.5J x 172 forged aluminium rims
- 35/12.5-17 off road tyres
PRICE
- £1.25m plus local taxes
The Citroen DS is still young and ripe but already it has set on maturing into a hefty lineup : the DS3, DS4 and DS5. Unlike the standard range, the DS line with its bold design and bonkers features is for people with the driving enthusiasm of teenagers or lunatics. The Citroen DS5 is the latest addition to the line-up and the first one to feature Full Hybrid Diesel technology with the Hybrid4 version. It will join an already successful market of DS vehicles with around 180 000 units sold and counting.
Sebastien Loeb/Daniel Elena and Dani Sordo/Marc Marti, the two Citroen crews competing in the WRC World Rally Championship, will be on the Citroen stand today. They will be taking a close look at the Citroen C4 WRC HYmotion4, a car that opens the debate on a possible link between motorsports and more virtuous technologies, and also the concept car GTbyCitroen. A virtual racing car that has come to life for the Paris Motor Show, much to the pleasure of visitors…