Russian Marussia supercar unveiled
Click above for image gallery of the Marussia
Nikolay Fomenko, who was probably busy enough being a popular singer, television new anchor and theater actor, also found time to become an FIA N-GT champion. And if that wasn't enough to keep this Russian renaissance man busy, he has just launched his country's first sportscar company, Marussia. To top it off, it's a hybrid, just to make things more difficult. Make the jump for all the details.
Gallery: Marussia sportscar
[Sources: Russia Today, Luxury Version]
Fomenko says that he brought a lot of knowledge from his racing career to bear on the Marussia. We see elements of just about every supercar on the market in its appearance, but it manages to still look unique. While he envisions producing a pure electric car sometime down the road, the company's first project is a hybrid.
The Marussia is slated to use a 240-hp, 3.5-liter six-cylinder engine, most likely from Renault or Nissan, but it's unclear where the electric drive components will originate from. While much of the car's parts are expected to be sourced from established companies, approximately 35% of the content will be Russian.
Adding a bit of sizzle to its speed, the Marussia will also have "a host of gadgets," including a 4G Yota network with 10 Mbps data transfer rates at vehicle speeds of up to 120 km/h. Bluetooth, GPS and video screens all around, plus a 320 GB hard drive to round out the electronics.
The goal for the electric supercar is a 400km range, but Russian winters mean the batteries will need a boost. That's where nanotechnology comes in. Fomenko thinks the solution might be in a "nanotech project made at one of Russia's big construction bureaus." The company foresees a 0-62 mph dash of around five seconds and a Tesla-like price tag of $100,000. Plans call for the first customer cars to be delivered next Fall, with race versions taking part in the 2010 edition of FIA GT championship. Fomenko is clearly nothing if not ambitious.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Kumail 8:03PM (12/17/2008)
i like it, but i don't know about the headlights...
i like them but somehow, i don't at the same time...
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JDC 12:18AM (12/18/2008)
I agree with your pic and I also see it mixed with lots of this:
http://www.sportscarcup.com/cars/maserati-mc12.jpg
BlackEmblem 8:04PM (12/17/2008)
lol.
http://www.doobybrain.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/09/lamborghini-reventon-01.jpg
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Kumail 8:11PM (12/17/2008)
one of the greatest links.
ever.
Korben Dallas 8:21PM (12/17/2008)
The point being...?
Torrent 8:36PM (12/17/2008)
Korben Dallas:
The point being that this has similar design cues. Headlights are almost a mini-replica, the lower air dams look comparable, etc.
BlackEmblem 11:48PM (12/17/2008)
Thank you (real) Torrent... for clarifying my comment.
I should've made the joke less vague, in retrospect.
JDC 12:21AM (12/18/2008)
Oops, my above reply was for you... same post.
I agree with your pic and I also see it mixed with lots of this:
http://www.sportscarcup.com/cars/maserati-mc12.jpg
jon 8:06PM (12/17/2008)
its a pretty cool looking design, but with only a 240 HP V6 in there, it wont be beating any koenigsegg's around the ring. I like that russia is putting a supercar out there though, its a step in the right direction for them
-------------------------
Stangplanet.com
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MemphisNET 8:07PM (12/17/2008)
That's actually pretty easy on the eyes. 5 seconds is kinda ''slow'' for a supercar, but the price and electric nature make up for it.
Interesting concept. Looking forward to seeing how it pans out.
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Kattleox 9:48PM (12/17/2008)
Yeah. It looks good, but the color...you would have to get it in red.
At any rate, this is just a Fisker+Tesla kind of deal. The karma gets a 5.8 0-60 making this faster. That, and the feasible battery nanotechnologies allow for up to 100 gigahertz of output. (check out the link, if you are into this kind of thing: http://www.nsti.org/procs/Nanotech2003v1/11/M66.25 )
Honestly, I couldn't care less about the car, but if a playboy is pouring his money into worthwhile engineering which will positively affect the market and automobiles as a whole, then by all means, Marussia it is.
RamblinReck89 11:16PM (12/17/2008)
In Russia, supercar drives you!
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Mobius_1 8:26PM (12/17/2008)
Looks like a rebodied Zonda. Maybe the Russians have finally mastered the art of badge engineering.
(In Soviet Russia, badges engineer YOU!!!)
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Tedcorp 8:33PM (12/17/2008)
Exactly what I thought...looks like a Gallardo/Zonda mashup.
Complete ripoff of current cars that are faster and have more caché...which let's admit, is imperative in a supercar.
Echelon Bob 12:28AM (12/18/2008)
@Tedcorp:
Sorry to harp, but I see this so much on this site that it was time to say something:
I think you meant "cachet."
"Cache" is what's in your CPU or where you store your weapons... ;)
Mobius_1 6:44AM (12/18/2008)
What, Bob, your Lambo hasn't got a weapons crate in it? Geez!
Biomech 8:36PM (12/17/2008)
I'll stick with the Zenvo, thanks for the... effort... though.
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Jel 7:41AM (12/18/2008)
in soviet russia people bails out you
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Zillon 8:57PM (12/17/2008)
Looks like a Reventon had sex with a McLaren F1, whose offspring mated with a Zonda.
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poematik14 9:09PM (12/17/2008)
Its beautiful. Lose the ugly color scheme, and make it high gloss grey, or maybe even a taupe color, it would look hot.
The rims look cheap, but that can be changed. Bring it to the US market and sell it for 80-120k and they are golden.
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