The Forgotten South Korean Supercar: de Macross Epique GT1

Vanished Velocity - For years, South Korean automakers have been globally recognized through brands like Hyundai, KIA, and a few others such as Daewoo and SsangYong. But who would have imagined that South Korea also produced a striking supercar with gull-wing doors—possibly the first Korean car ever to debut at the Goodwood Festival of Speed?

The South Korean first supercar named de Macross Epique GT1 made its debut at the.Goodwood Festival of Speed (Picture from: 4WheelsNews)

Back to 2012, there're the supercar, named the de Macross Epique GT1 and took part in the Goodwood Festival of Speed. This supercar built with carbon fiber material that makes the body becomes so lightweight. This blend of slick design supercar is the idea of Korean oil magnate and avid car collector, Jahong Keyser Hur in an attempt to capture the sensuous lines of the late 60s and early 70s Le Mans race cars into a modern interpretation. 

Front three quarter of de Macross Epique GT1. (Picture from: 4WheelsNews)

"Mr. Hur loves cars and he follows his dream to make himself a supercar and automotive companies," said the spokesman of de Macross Motor Corporation, Yongbin Choi, as reported by Autocar. 

The de Macross Epique GT1 was recently spotted on the streets of South Korea, its unique shape leaving most people unaware of what it was. (Picture from: Chejiahao.Autohome.com.cn)

The automaker, de Macross Motor Corporation, a lesser-known startup founded in 2009 and based in Canada, and to develop the de Macross Epique GT1 project, the company received financial backing from a South Korean firm.

Interior view of de Macross Epique GT1. (Picture from: Caradisiac)

As mentioned above, the car in question is built based on the hybrid carbon fiber and aluminum monocoque tub structure engineered by Multimatic, a Toronto-based company. Then the Epique's suspension is used 4-way independently adjustable Dynamic Suspension Spool Valve (DSSV) dampers, which is also used by Red Bull Racing to win the 2010 F1 World Championship.

The de Macross Epique GT1 is powered by a supercharged 5.4-litre Ford V8 that Roush tweaked to produce more than 800bhp and 725lbft of torque. (Picture from: Caradisiac)

Furthermore, the supercar is powered by a supercharged in line 5.4-litre Ford V8 mid-mounted engine capable to burst out the power more than 800 bhp and 725 lb-ft of torque coupled with a Ricardo transaxle that an alloy rear subframe supports. Thanks to this concoction, the 1,450 kg weighted car capable to accelerate from 0 to 100 kph of 3.1 seconds and reaches a top speed of 230 mph or 370 kph.

Rear view of de Macross Epique GT1. (Picture from: TopSpeed)

The Epique GT1 itself was first introduced by de Macross to the public at the Dubai Auto Show 2011 and is expected to continue to expand its wings in line with the ambitions of the company's founder and owner. Moreover, the automaker claims that many buyers from the Middle East and America are already interested in the car.

For those of You who want to be the owner of this car, to be able to bring this Epique GT1 estimated that You have to prepare funds of up to US $ 1.5 million or around Rp. 14.1 billion before contact the automaker, the price above does not include taxes with a six-month waiting time quoted. Unfortunately to this day there is no more news related to how many the Epique GT1 has been produced by de Macross.😉 *** [EKA [16062015] [23042022] | FROM VARIOUS SOURCES | DEMACROSS | FACEBOOK | AUTOCAR | TOPSPEED | MOTORAUTHORITY | AUTOEVOLUTION | CARBUZZ | CHEJIAHAO.AUTOHOME.COM.CN | CARSSIMPLIFIED ]

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