Autoblog

Hulme finally opens order books

Aaron Richardson — Mon, 08 Aug 2011 08:29:00 EST

Filed under: Car Buying, Coupe, Performance, Europe, Specialty, Racing

Hulme, New Zealand's only supercar company, has finally started accepting orders for its long-promised, much-hyped supercar. Along similar lines as the Caparo T1, the Hulme's goal is to provide an F1 car experience for the street.

To do so, the beast is loaded with a 700-horsepower, Chevrolet-derived V8 stuffed into the middle of a carbon fiber and kevlar shell. Weight is kept down to just over 2,300 pounds, which Hulme hopes will mean a 0-60 sprint of under 3.5 seconds. Denny would be proud.

The order books for the limited-production supercars are now open, but deliveries likely won't begin until the second half of 2012. Hulme is hoping to get the car classed as a limited-production vehicle in Europe, which would mean the car could be sold freely across the continent.

Hulme finally opens order books originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 08 Aug 2011 08:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Hulme CanAm supercars said to be struggling to find investors

Zach Bowman — Tue, 06 Jul 2010 10:01:00 EST

Filed under: Convertible, Coupe, Performance, Earnings/Financials, Specialty

Hulme CanAm - Click above for high-res image gallery

It seems like every day, a new startup flashes a rendering on the interwebs claiming to be the next big thing in the automotive world. Maybe it's a mid-engine supercar or an all-electric savior that's come to deliver us from dino juice. Either way, only a handful of these ever make it from dream fodder to something that actually puts rubber to the pavement. Few know that better than the crew behind New Zealand's Hulme CanAm.

The car has been the stuff of Kiwi dreams for nearly eight years now, but according to Yahoo! Xtra Sport, a recent lack of funds may force the company behind it and its investors to reconsider the future. After failing to raise $5.2 million USD through an IPO for construction of a facility to build the CanAm and development of the car, Hulme is now forced to refund what money it did accumulate. Investors will be getting checks in the mail.

So what happens to the LS7-powered exotic? At this point, apparently no one knows. Hulme had attempted to raise its capital through New Zealand investors only, so it's entirely possible that the company will begin looking outside of the island nation for a little financial help. For now though, the ambitious project appears to be in serious trouble.

Gallery: Hulme CanAm

[Source: Yahoo! Xtra Sport]

Hulme CanAm supercars said to be struggling to find investors originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 06 Jul 2010 10:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Hulme CanAm now available for order - Hurry, just 20 available

Sam Abuelsamid — Wed, 26 May 2010 15:01:00 EST

Filed under: Convertible, Performance, Specialty

Hulme CanAm - Click above for high-res image gallery

Nearly four years after its debut, New Zealand-based Hulme Supercars has finally opened up the order books for the CanAm, but if you want one, you had better move fast. Hulme will build only 20 examples of the CanAm and they are going on a first come, first serve basis. To get on the order list, prospective customers will have to submit a £10,000 fully refundable deposit (that's around $14,400 at current exchange rates). Production of the CanAm won't start until the fall of 2011 and Hulme will hold a private showing and test drive sometime before the 2011 Goodwood Festival of Speed.

Hulme will put the deposits in a trust account that will be returned for any prospective customers that decide to cancel. For those that decide to take delivery, the $700,000+ purchase price includes two business class tickets to Auckland, New Zealand for final fitting of the car and some local driving time. Once the customer is satisfied, the car will get shipped to its final destination.

Gallery: Hulme CanAm

[Source: Hulme Supercars]

Continue reading Hulme CanAm now available for order - Hurry, just 20 available

Hulme CanAm now available for order - Hurry, just 20 available originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 26 May 2010 15:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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eBay Find of the Day: Ex-Gurney 1969 Shelby Trans Am Mustang Boss 302

Zach Bowman — Wed, 26 May 2010 11:29:00 EST

Filed under: Classics, Coupe, Auctions, Ford, Racing

Dan Gurney's 1969 Ford Mustang Boss 302 Trans-Am - Click above for image gallery

Here's your chance to lay your hands on a piece of muscle car history. One of Dan Gurney's 1969 Ford Mustang Boss 302 racecars is up for bid on eBay Motors with a chilly Buy it Now price of $1.1 million. The car campaigned in a number of race series, but the biggest feather in its cap is that it helped Ford secure the silver in the 1969 Trans-Am manufacturer championship. According to the listing, this particular example was the prototype for the rest of the Trans-Am Mustangs driven that year, and it was built for Caroll Shelby's team by Kar Kraft.

Gurney whipped the car around the track at Kent and used it for practice at Sears Point, but Peter Revson piloted the Boss to its best finish of the '69 season - fourth at Laguna Seca. After Shelby walked away from the Trans Am series, the Ford spent some time as a wind-tunnel test car and made its way around a variety of race circuits, nabbing an SCCA Championship along the way. In 2003, it was restored to its 1969 configuration in concourse condition, complete with a 527 horsepower 302 under the hood.

The auction includes a mountain of documentation, including signed letters of authenticity from Carroll Shelby himself, Kar Kraft engineering drawings and a stack of period photos of the car going fender to fender. Hit eBay Motors to check it out.

Gallery: Dan Gurney's 1969 Ford Mustang Boss 302 Trans-Am

[Source: eBay Motors]

eBay Find of the Day: Ex-Gurney 1969 Shelby Trans Am Mustang Boss 302 originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 26 May 2010 11:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Hulme CanAm makes track debut with 600-hp LS7 V8

Noah Joseph — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 13:03:00 EST

Filed under: Supercars

Click either image to view the Hulme CanAm in our gallery

The McLaren legacy is a powerful draw. Bruce McLaren himself was a tour de force as a racing driver, engineer and team principal in his day, winning races and championships in Formula One, Indy cars and Can-Am. Ever since his passing in 1970, there has been no lack of supercars ready to lift up his mantle: McLaren F1, Mercedes SLR, Caparo T1...even the tuned Viper concept that recently hit the auction block all owe their origins to the Kiwi and the racing teams he established. Add to that list the Hulme CanAm, a lightweight supercar six years in the making.

The car is named after Denny Hulme, the New Zealander won the F1 title in 1967 before going on to win the Can-Am championship the following year. Appropriately, the car shown above is painted the same bright orange hue as the McLaren racer in which he did it. We've been following the development of the car, previously referred to as the Hulme F1, for a few years now. Along with the name change and the addition of an open-roof model, the Hulme has received a heart transplant in the form of a 7.0-liter LS7 V8 borrowed from the Corvette Z06 to replace the previous BMW unit, offering 600 horsepower. That's enough to push the supercar to sixty in less than three seconds and on to nearly 200 miles-per-hour. The Hulme CanAm recently underwent a public shakedown at the A1GP race in New Zealand, where it lapped the circuit at 123 mph without incident, and is expected to hit the market with a $700,000 price tag sometime next year. Follow the link for more details and check out the assorted images in the gallery below.

UPDATE: new hi-res images of the open-top Hulme CanAm on track added to the gallery

Gallery: Hulme CanAm

[Source: Hulme Supercars]

Hulme CanAm makes track debut with 600-hp LS7 V8 originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 03 Feb 2009 13:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Can-Am Spyder - View our gallery and visit their site, now live!

Jeremy Korzeniewski — Mon, 12 Feb 2007 19:03:00 EST

Filed under: Etc., Green

Our recent post with information from AutoblogGreen's ongoing coverage of three-wheeled transportation alternatives has received a lot of attention. With that in mind, we bring you additional coverage, this time of the Can-Am Spyder. AutoblogGreen has a few details of the design on their site, but for our Autoblog readers, we'll focus on the performance aspects of such a machine.

The engine is rumored to be similar to the 60 degree V-Twin powering Aprilia sportbikes. Aprilia, in turn, is rumored to be focusing R&D on a new engine of their own design, which would leave the door open for Can-Am to use the Rotax-designed engine in their own vehicles. The 697 lbs. vehicles should have well over 100 horsepower at the rear wheels, making its power to weight ratio particularly admirable. What's more, the handling should be similarly stellar, making good use of those wide tires on three contact patches and expected traction control and ABS brakes.

Well over 100 horsepower at the rear-wheels. Less than 700 pounds dry. Interested? Save up $15 thousand and wait until April, when dealers will get their first stocks.

Gallery: Can-Am Spyder

[Source: Autobloggreen]

Can-Am Spyder - View our gallery and visit their site, now live! originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 12 Feb 2007 19:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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