It broke every record it set its mind to. It has almost 2,000 horsepower. It flashes along the racetrack like only a few road-legal cars can do. It is the jaw-dropping, head-turning, mind-blowing Aspark Owl, and one is already going under the hammer via Supercar Blondie's new dealership in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates.
Four electric motors, each engaging a wheel, set the Owl in motion, pumping out 1,985 horsepower and 1,475 pound-feet of torque in an all-wheel drive setup. That sounds every inch insanity on wheels, as those parameters make the hypercar flash from 0 to 60 mph (0 to 97 kph) in just 1.7 seconds.
Eat your heart out, Tesla Model S Plaid, with that 1.9 seconds for the same run! According to the carmaker, it goes from 0 to 299 kph (186 mph) in 10.6 seconds, while the needle of the speedometer goes all the way to 257 mph (413 kph).
It is obvious that Aspark's hypercar is one tough player in the electric hypercar segment, where it battles for the top spot with Rimac's Nevera. The firm knew it would be hard for everyone to believe they could hit those kinds of figures. So, they had the Guinness Book of World Records come and see if they could do it.
The Japanese model smashed two world records right under their eyes at the Elvington Airfield in Yorkshire. For one of them, it averaged almost 200 mph (322 km/h) over a quarter mile. Yes, you read that right: average!
Photo: SBX Cars
The other one was running at an average speed of 192.03 mph (309.02 kph) over an eighth mile, which makes it faster than the Nevera.
A battery pack with a capacity of 64 kWh stores enough energy for a drive of up to 280 miles (451 kilometers). Of course, not when the driver pushes that pedal to the metal.
Aspark will only build 50 Owl examples. Waiting times have been extended to at least a year. However, there were customers who placed their orders seven years ago, when the firm unveiled the Owl concept.
They presented the production version in 2019 by taking a fully functional model, which is built around a carbon fibre monocoque chassis weighing jst 265 pounds (265 kilograms) at the Dubai International Auto Show back in 2019. Deliveries already started in late 2020, while other carmakers were still promising the world to customers who had only seen CGIs or prototypes.
Think Mercedes-AMG ONE and how long it took to send the 2017 to production and have it delivered to the 275 select customers. Meanwhile, Aspark rolled up its sleeves and delivered while many overpromised and underdelivered.
Photo: SBX Cars
For Aspark, everything must have clicked in place and it had founder Masanori Yoshida to blame for it. He is specialized in automotive engineering services, electronics, and design.
So, now, for the first time ever, the hypercar designed with the aid of Manifattura Automobili Torino and manufactured in Japan with all the precision those in the Land of the Rising Sun are capable of is being auctioned off.
There is no information about what lies beneath the decision to take the car to Dubai and sell it in an online auction. It might be a build slot left empty by a customer who changed their mind along the way and decided not to take the hypercar home. Or maybe one of the 50 examples planned to see the light of day was destined for the auction from the moment it went up the assembly line.
What we do know is that, with a super-limited production run, there aren't really many lucky drivers to get their hands on one. This means that this 2023 Aspark Owl, the first to hit the auction block, is a chance in a lifetime.
Photo: SBX Cars
The model is listed by a luxury dealership in Dubai, the same one that is also selling a brand-new Mercedes-AMG ONE with only 89 kilometers (55 miles) on the clock. However, there is no information on the mileage of the Owl. There shouldn't be too many miles displayed there since it is a 2023 car.
The photos in the listing show carbon fiber seats wrapped in black and yellow leather, Sparco racing harnesses, a digital instrument cluster, digital mirrors, and a touchscreen that controls most of the functions of the car. The same photo gallery shows a car with bronze wheels and another one riding on silver wheels. Which means that either this car is available with two sets of wheels or one of them is not it.
The Owl will be auctioned off starting April 18 via the new dealership SBX, belonging to Alexandra Hirschi’s, aka Supercar Blondie. The car that rolled off the production line in 2023 has already undergone a full inspection carried out by Aspark themselves to have it ready for the event. Each of the 50 examples starts at $3.5 million before options.
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