Osaka, Japan-based Aspark recently created an electric hypercar designed to reach remarkable speeds. The OWL SP600 was developed with help from Italy’s Manifattura Automobili Torino, and it just set an electric vehicle (EV) speed record. On June 8, track tests saw the car reach 272.6 mph, making it the fastest electric car in the world.
Aspark specializes in high-speed electric cars that it says are “engineered to overcome the limitations of physics.”
The OWL reportedly took about 10 years to develop. Aspark itself only started operations 20 years ago. It gained notoriety after it challenged a Tesla Roadster’s 0 to 60 mph time. In 2018, Electrek reported that the company claimed the OWL could go 0 to 62 mph in 1.9 seconds, 0.2 seconds faster than Tesla’s Roadster. Today, the official OWL web page says it can go from 0 to 60 in 1.72 seconds.
Photo Courtesy Aspark
OWL is ready for market and currently on sale in Europe as one of the most expensive EVs in the world. Its MSRP starts at €2.9 million ($3.1 million). Only Automobili Pininfarina’s Barchetta is more pricey than the OWL.
Aspark’s EV has 1,953 horsepower and 250 miles of range. This past March, the car made its way to Miami, where it was unveiled at the Amelia Concours d’Elegance 2024 and Supercar Saturday Florida.
The June 8 track test occurred at the Automotive Testing Papenburg in Germany. It was validated using a Racelogic VBOX, a high-precision GPS measuring device.
After one lap, recorded in the Manifattura Automobili Torino official video, the car reached 438.7 kilometers per hour (km/h) or 272.6 mph. The EV required custom racing tires from Bridgestone to help it achieve this record. It also went through rigorous wind tunnel testing for aerodynamics.
Photo Courtesy Aspark
“It has been about 10 years since we started working on the OWL hypercar,” Masanori Yoshida, Aspark CEO, said in a statement. “We aimed for the world’s fastest accelerating car, then attempted and achieved the top speed world records today with our new hypercar OWL SP600.”
“This technical capability inspires all involved to personal excellence and to challenge and grow in leaps and bounds into the future,” he continued.
Zagreb, Croatia-based Rimac was the holder of the previous EV speed record. The Nevera hypercar set a record of 256 mph in 2022. Rimac is preparing a new car, the Verne, which will have Level 4 autonomous driving.
