Denza’s range-topping Special Edition will attempt to set a Nürburgring record this fall
Denza’s new supercar looks like it could be something truly special.
The BYD-owned luxury marque unveiled the finished Z at this month’s Goodwood Festival of Speed. The brand’s latest creation features a boundary-pushing powertrain that pumps out nearly 1,600 horses and will actually be released in Europe.
The Z has mainly been teased as a Porsche 911 rival up until now, but it looks to have more in common with a supercar than a sports car. That’s because the futuristic speed machine comes equipped with a tri-motor setup (one motor up front, two in the back) that Denza says will be able to produce a shocking 1,582 hp and 1,239 Nm of torque. For the few drivers who somehow think that output isn’t enough, there’s the track-focused Racing and the range-topping Special Edition variants will make an even more ridiculous 1,971 horses.
With that much power at its disposal, it only makes sense that the Z is fast. And quite fast at that. Denza says the standard version of the EV, which will be available as a coupe and an open-top Spider, can accelerate from zero to 62 mph (100 km/hr) in 2.5 seconds and reach a top speed of 188 mph (302 km/hr). The Racing and Special Edition, meanwhile, can reach 62 mph in just 1.7 seconds and top out at 217 mph. The company also says the last top-of-the-line Z will be the latest Chinese EV to make a run at the Nürburgring Nordschleife lap record this fall.
Of course, when it comes to EVs, power and speed aren’t the only performance numbers that matter. The Z is built on e3 platform and features its second-generation 76-kWh Blade battery. Its range isn’t spectacular—the company says the coupe has a 255-mile (410 km) range, the Spider a 249-mile (400 km) range, and the Racing a 236-mile (380 km) range—but the pack can be taken from 10 to 97 per cent capacity in just nine minutes.
The EV features a low-slung stance and a body that Denza describes as “a living sculpture of speed.” The Racing variant doesn’t look radically different, but it does add a giant three-way-adjustable wing. Denza has yet to share images of the Special Edition, but it will wear an even more aggressive aero package made of “race-grade, dual-layer composite” that the company says will produce over 4,400 pounds (1,996 kg) of downforce. Inside, the vehicle features a driver-centric cockpit equipped with an 8.9-inch digital gauge cluster, a 12.8-inch infotainment screen, and a steering wheel with six physical buttons for easy access to features like Track and Boost mode.
This story was first published on Robb Report USA. Featured photo by BYD
