There’s a new startup supercar company in town, and rather than employing the age-old launch strategy of introducing itself with a single ambitious new hypercar, Laffite Automobili has decided to start with three.
The Italian company was founded by Pascal Cohen and Bruno Laffite—the nephew of retired F1 driver Jacques Laffite. Its new vehicles feature design work by GFG Style, the company founded by Giorgetto and his son Fabrizio Giugiaro.
The vehicles that they’ve come up with are the LM1, a Le Mans prototype-style track car that can be driven on the road; the Barchetta, an unusual-looking, road-focused supercar; and the Atrax, a rugged, off-road-focused crossover coupe. Oh, and they’re all electric.
“Our primary goal was to create a brand that brings together the large family of motorsports,” said Cohen. “We are currently the only ones to offer these three types of cars, two of which are positioned in two completely innovative segments, the LM1 and the Atrax. We wanted to meet the very different expectations of our collectors.”
Read: GFG Style’s Bandini Dora Barchetta EV Study Boasts 536 HP, F1-Inspired Halo
As hinted at by Cohen, the cars will be highly limited in nature, the company plans to sell between 24 and 26 of each model. For instance, it says it will build 26 Atrax SUVs, with a starting price of $1.69 million.
For that, you get an all-electric crossover with butterfly doors, a carbon monocoque, and an F1-style steering wheel. The SUV is offered in either its aggressive stock configuration, or in the more road-focused Stradale trim. Laffite Automobili claims it will make 1,151 hp (858 kW/1167 PS) and 1,844 lb-ft (2,500 Nm) of torque. That will get the 4,850 lb (2,200 kg) vehicle up to 62 mph (100 km/h) in just 3.8 seconds, and onto a top speed of 149 mph (240 km/h).
With “2+1” seating, the driver will be able to take two of their friends along for a ride in the Atrax, and they’ll be able to go up to 273 miles (400 km) per charge. Thanks to 350 kW fast-charging, the crossover can be filled from 10 to 80 percent in just 22 minutes.
Meanwhile, the LM1 gets the same amount of power (but just 1,180 lb-ft/1,600 Nm of torque) and weighs just 3,638 lbs (1,650 kg), which will allow it to hit 62 mph (100 km/h) in as little as 1.9 seconds. Better still, it will be able to do that while also having space for a passenger and some light luggage.
Despite being electric (the LM1 has a predicted range of 255 miles/410km), it will also feature paddle “shifting” and a new sound system that replicates the aural experience of some of history’s great racecars.
Finally, the Barchetta will be the least powerful of the trio. Its electric motors will make 578 hp (430 kW/586 PS) and 730 lb-ft (990 Nm) of torque, which should get it to 62 mph (100 km/h) in 3.5 seconds. It will also have the shortest electric range, capable of traveling an estimated 242 miles (390 km) per charge.
However, that car’s true highlight is the design. Featuring a double-bubble cockpit (or a single glass canopy for the Coupe version) and a “halo” that offers rollover protection, the car looks more like a concept than a production vehicle. Laffite says that it has spent more than 15,000 hours engineering each vehicle.
Laffite Automobili unveiled its new trio of EVs in Miami this week, ahead of the Formula Grand Prix. Deliveries of the first Atraxes are expected to begin in March 2024.
