The Auto Channel
The Largest Independent Automotive Research Resource
The Largest Independent Automotive Research Resource
Official Website of the New Car Buyer

Exotics - Mosler Raptor GTR Breaks Ground


PHOTO (select to view enlarged photo)

First 2012 838hp 240mph Mosler RaptorGTR hyperexotic car breaks cover.

For the first time in the 100-year history of the automobile, a crushing new supercar is being launched. The new American 2012 Mosler RaptorGTR features an 838hp 7.0L forged V8 twinturbo powerplant accelerating only 2580lbs (1173kg). The ultralight street missile is built with carbon-fiber LeMans Prototype construction concepts to keep the weight radically lower than any car in the hyperexotic category, while remaining extremely safe. Like the Audi R18 that protected its driver through an intensive impact with a barrier during the 2011 LeMans race, the RaptorGTR features a central carbon-fiber safety cell surrounded by consumable elements to absorb impact energy.

The magic of the $700,000 RaptorGTR lies in the extensive use of carbon-fiber, which is pound-for-pound five times stronger than steel and uniquely visible inside and outside the car. The result of this construction concept combined with a twin-turbocharged 7.0L powerplant is a power-to-weight ratio that is 36% higher than the 987hp / 4162lb $1.7million Bugatti Veyron. Power-to-weight is the primary variable to determine the ‘rush’ of acceleration. Low weight also reduces braking distances because there is simply less kinetic energy to be converted into heat during deceleration. Additionally, low weight, low center of gravity, and sticky tires yield 1.4g’s of lateral grip. The mid-engine missile features Nitto NT05R drag radials to maintain traction under this level of power. Low weight, high power, and strong traction yield a 2.3second blast to 60mph. See RaptorGTR.com for more specs, pricing, and technical details.

While developing the 838hp RaptorGTR powerplant, we experimented with ProOne superlubricant. Dyno testing showed a 25hp increase and 8deg decrease in steady-state engine temperature.

After completing a performance driving school with the RaptorGTR, for an additional $70,000 the vehicle can be upgraded by Supercar Engineering, Inc. with a 1212hp GTR package. Additional cooling is required to absorb the immense heat that 1212hp emits, thus there is an additional radiator installed in the driver’s side pod and the intercooler receives additional air flow via ducts integrated into the rear hatch. This upgrade package will be limited to 12 cars. This rocket has more than 1hp/kg and nearly DOUBLE the power-to-weight ratio of a Bugatti Veyron.