Hello, I’m Nathan Collins with Motoring Monthly, here at the 2020 Automation Car Meet, standing by some very special Voltaris. We’ll be conducting some quick interviews with the owners of these beauties, as well as potentially getting some time behind the wheel, so stay tuned.
The three Voltaris that we’ll be taking a look at are all extremely different, with two from the current era, and one a throwback to simpler times. The Sunset Copper Pearl Elysium is owned by racing driver Henrik Samuelsson, who was one of the first to own the 1500hp, limited edition hypercar. The Alphard Blue Speedster is owned by Richard Nyman, an investment banker by day, and a major car enthusiast by night. Finally, the pristine Dust Copper 3000LX Syncro is owned by Goran Nemec, who inherited the car from his father, and has a touching story to go along with it.
A large flock of people surround Samulsson’s Elysium, who’s giving autographs to fans of the famed World Rallycross and former DTM driver. The Elysium sports a 5.5L twin-turbocharged V8, that produces 765hp and 625lb-ft of torque on it’s own, however that beast of a engine is also mated to 3 electric motors (one on each rear wheel and the other on the front axle, giving it a total combined output of 1500hp and 1050lb-ft of torque. It’s mated to a heavily beefed up 7-speed DCT and all-wheel drive, which allows the Elysium to do 0-60 in 2.3 seconds, and reach a top speed of 250mph. Only 1000 units were made (seen here is #150/1000), priced at $670,000. We managed to get a chance to speak to Samuelsson, who said this about the Elysium;
The Elysium is a fantastic car, it feels incredibly focused and agile under hard driving, while remaining civilised enough to drive around town. The 1500hp plug-in hybrid powertrain brings an exciting twist to the Elysium’s formula. I was there personally for many of the Elysium’s major development milestones, and I can truly see all the work that Voltari put into this machine.
And Samuelsson was right, the Elysium is truly a sight to behold. Towards the end of the night, Samulesson started up the Elysium, and everyone in the car park was in awe, hearing the 1500hp/1050lb-ft 5.5L twin turbocharged V8 and tri-motor electric powertrain roar to life. Some other auto journalists also got to take it for a quick drive, saying the 7-speed dual clutch transmission was incredibly quick, and a perfect match for the engine. Others praised the roofless design as well as the exclusive paintjob. We unfortunately didn’t get a chance to get behind the wheel of this Elysium, but our official first drive and review of another unit will be in September’s MM issue.
Next, we went to take a look at Mr. Nyman’s Speedster, which attracted a few good looks from the crowd as well. The Speedster is a fascinating piece of engineering, sporting a 3.0L 405hp/295lb-ft naturally aspirated V8, a 7-speed dual clutch borrowed from it’s bigger brother, the Elysium, and rear-wheel drive. The Speedster is also roofless, although a hardtop variant is said to be in the works. It’s incredibly light as well, only weighing 1,950lbs. This allows it to do 0-60 in 2.6s, and reach a top speed of 202mph. The Speedster is also capable of creating 850lbs of downforce at it’s Vmax certified top speed. The Speedster is on sale now, starting at $150,000. We spoke to Mr. Nyman about his Speedster, and he said this;
The Speedster can best be described as insane, from the 405hp V8 that revs to 9.5k, or the crazy amount of downforce it puts out; it’s just not like anything else I’ve ever driven.
And Mr. Nyman was correct. We had a chance to blast the Speedster around the town, it’s high revving V8 screaming behind me, the brutal amount of grip it kept in the corners, and the aggressive feeling DCT made for an extremely pleasing driving experience. A full review of the Speedster will be coming soon to MM, but until then, I hope you enjoy this first look.
Last, but certainly not least came the 1975 Voltari 3000LX Syncro, owned by Mr. Goran Nemec, a doctor born in Croatia who moved here to the US in the late 2000s. The 3000LX Syncro was the car that launched Voltari as an international brand, with the first units going on sale in the spring of 1975. The 3000LX Syncro sports a 250hp/185lb-ft 3.0L V6, a 5-speed manual and four-wheel drive with a 2-speed transfer case, which allowed the 3000LX to do 0-60 in 8.0 seconds, and reach a then-impressive top speed of 144mph. Mr. Nemec inherited this car from his father, who purchased it new in 1975, but unfortunately died 2 years later, having only put 15,000km (9,370mi roughly) on the odometer. The 3000LX then sat for over 10 years, until Goran fixed it back up and learned to drive it. The car now has 88,500km (55,000mi roughly) on the odometer, and has crossed continents with Nemec. We had a chance to speak with Nemec, who spoke of the car;
The 3000LX has been with me for every major part of my life, from when I moved to the US to attend medical school, to when I met my wife, got married, had my first child and so on. This car means a great deal to me, and I hope I can keep it going until my son turns 16, so I can hand it down to him.
We were stunned to see such a pristine example of a 3000LX, a Syncro trim no less, and we wish Nemec and his family the best. We sincerely hope that this fine piece of engineering is still on the road for years to come. We also took a quick ride-along with Nemec in the 3000LX, and even today the cushy yet sporty ride it was known for holds up. The interior of the car was pristine as well, with no damage to any of the seats or the touch surfaces. Everything about ths 3000LX is perfect, and it was definitely an exciting thing to see.
This has been Nathan Collins with Motoring Monthly, signing off.
(I’m a new user so unfortunately I can only post one picture, but I did really want to participate in this, hopefully you appreciate my one picture I could post and my little writeup from an automotive journalist’s standpoint.)
