Zenvo ST1 Up Close and Personal at the Essen Motor Show

As a brief reminder for the unknowing, the company known as Zenvo Automotive is a Denmark-based specialty manufacturer. Its specialty is to make one of the fastest and most extreme hypercars out there, namely the ST1 featured in the live gallery below.

That awful shade of tri-coat brown paint of the Zenvo ST1 from Essen may be the product of a number two after a visit to Taco Bell, but the rest of the vehicle is world class material. Designed by Christian Brandt and Jesper Hermann, the exterior styling is what attracted us the most at first glance.

If it were painted white, then the body would contrast with the bottom feeder-like front grille, chicken wire under the headlights and black wheels in a fashion that resembles a Stormtrooper’s helmet.

The body is made entirely from carbon fiber, while the chassis is a mix of steel and aluminum

That adds up to a 1,688 kg (3,721 lbs) dry weight. Just for kicks, the Porsche 918 Spyder is just 48 kilos (105 pounds) lighter than the Zenvo when equipped with the Weissach package. But the 918 Spyder is totally thrashed by the Dane’s out-and-out performance credentials.

Thanks to a mid-mounted 6.8-liter V8, which is supercharged and turbocharged for good measure, the ST1 boasts with a power-to-weight ratio of 654 horsepower per ton. In total, the eight-cylinder powerplant offers a monstrous 1,104 horsepower and a beastly 1,430 Nm (1,054 lb-ft) of twist.

That’s a borderline scary hypercar recipe, but the 3-second 0 to 62 mph (100 km/h) stint doesn’t impresses by modern standards. What truly impresses is that the interior can be tailored to a customer’s needs, including an Android-based infotainment system. It’s only natural considering the ST1 costs €800k, which translates to $994,800 or £636,235. A bit too much considering its main rivals...

Zenvo ST1 at the Essen Motor Show - photo gallery