There's a new hypercar on the road – or rather, there will be. The dynamic debut won't happen until 2025, but the design and the engine have already been unveiled. We're talking about the 777 Hypercar, a track-only vehicle created by the newly formed 777 Motors of Andrea Levy (President of the Milano Monza Motor Show).
The 777 is a creature born in a partnership between several companies, each capable of creating one of the world's most exclusive (and incredible) cars. So let's get to know it better.
We chatted with Levy, who told us all the secrets of his new hypercar.
Track Only
Designed exclusively for the track, the 777 Hypercar is a collaboration of Italian automotive excellence, starting with Dallara, which is responsible for aerodynamics engineering and production.
The Emilia, Italy manufacturer was joined by Gibson Technology for the engine (more on that in a moment) and Sparco, the brand chosen to create the exclusive clothing line. The design of the car, however, came from the pencil of Umberto Palermo Design.
"I asked him to hide the monstrous performance of the 777 Hypercar and I would say he did it very well, softening those lines that we are usually used to seeing on cars that run the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The look then is reminiscent of a road-going hypercar."
All About Lightness
Built on a carbon monocoque chassis (the car weighs 1,984 pounds / 900 kilograms), the 777 Hypercar relies on sophisticated aerodynamics to help it generate 4,629 lbs (2,100 kg) of downforce at a speed of 230 mph (370 kmh), with the hypercar able to withstand a lateral acceleration of up to 3.5 and 4.0 Gs.
Lightness was the starting point for the birth of the 777.
"I am a frequent track goer, both to watch races and to race my cars. What have I discovered over the years? Lightness is one of the keys to having fun, to going fast, to enjoying a car, and to turning a lot," said Levy. "Lightness in fact allows a continuity of performance… my goal was to create a car that weighed no more than 900 kg."
So the Italian hypercar was not born from an idea of power, but of weight. To be contained as much as possible.
"The power-to-weight ratio is important, but the weight must be low. At this juncture, the hybrid does not help. And as for engine choice, I always prefer the almost infinite progression of the [naturally] aspirated engine. Without resorting to downsizing. For me, a real sports car must have at least a V8."
With that in mind, to move the 777 Hypercar there could only be a naturally aspirated 4.5-liter V8 with 730 horsepower at 9,000 rpm. No supercharging. No electrification of any kind. Everything as it used to be, screaming performance (with a top speed of 230 mph / 370 kmh), but above all else, lightness. And also an eye to sustainability. In fact, the eight-cylinder runs on synthetic fuels, which allows for a 65 percent decrease in CO2 emissions.
An extreme car through and through, which uses the track as its home and hunting ground. No license plate. And above all, no regulations to limit its performance.
"Right from the start, I told the Dallara and Gibson engineers that we don't follow any regulations. It is a difficult concept to understand, having no limits sometimes is scary. The car is derived from models that run in endurance racing, with an FIA LMP2 homologated chassis."
"I asked, ‘What is the maximum driving pleasure for car enthusiasts?' Not following regulations allows us to be freer and have more performance. The pole position in the 6 Hours of Monza this year was 1:35.358, the 777 runs in 1:33."
So, a pure, genuine racing car – one that doesn't miss a thing. Not having to follow the rules of some championships, in fact, makes the 777 Hypercar a unique vehicle. It some ways, it is uncharted territory.
"Performance in motorsport has not improved in recent years. Why? Because the first goal of motorsport is the show. What happened in F1? Where one car got behind another and could not overtake, the regulations began to favor overtaking. And that's because you have to have fun with it. My approach is completely different because I don't race. And if I don't race, everything on the market is no good, because it is designed to favor those who follow."
For A Limited Few
The 777 Hypercar is extreme in every aspect, even when static. In fact, just seven examples of the 777 Hypercar will be produced, and each owner will receive training to make the most of the car's performance. In addition, each customer will have the opportunity to train behind the wheel of the Dallara simulator in Varano de Melegari, Italy, and Indianapolis. And to continue the training directly from home, they will receive a professional simulator equipped with the same seat as the 777 – worth about $112,000 (€100,000).
This special "home" simulator is built on a Dallara chassis and is able to perfectly replicate the behavior of the real car. Note that also included in the car's equipment is a racing kit from Sparco and a helmet from Stilo that allows real-time communication between the driver, engineers, and mechanics during track days.
Track days in that of Monza, where the seven hypercars will have their home in a dedicated space inside the Autodromo, with seven events a year organized for owners. Basically, the 777s will remain guarded at the track, where they will be cared for and pampered, ready to let loose at a moment’s notice. But owners who want will also be able to take them home.
Already Looking To The Future
But there aren’t only seven hypercar planned for the future of 777 Motors. Concurrently, the brand will build the 777 Hypercar Unit-000, the experimental version that will become a kind of laboratory on wheels equipped with the latest autonomous driving, AI driver assist, and virtual coaching technologies.
The car will be built in collaboration with Polimove, Ascari, and Indy Autonomous Challenge. In addition, a new international research center will be built to produce this experimental super sports car, which will welcome and make use of engineering clusters and universities around the world in an open-source collaboration.
"A proprietary patent we are going to do on the lab car because different partners want to explore these issues. We are open to collaborations and we would also like to create a project within the project, once the virtual coaching is finished, and make it available to any supercar because we think it is unexplored terrain. Also because whatever we're going to try – autonomous driving, AI, assistance systems – we're going to try it on 230 mph (370 kmh) cars, and any testing is done on an extreme car."
How To See The 777 Hypercar
The Italian hypercar can be discovered live at the 777 Motors Lounge, a multimedia open space that can be visited by appointment and is located at the Monza Autodrome, adjacent to the Juan Manuel Fangio statue.
