Prodrive has officially launched the Hunter, a 600-horsepower, four-wheel-drive all-terrain adventure vehicle with unrivaled capability and performance in any terrain.
It evolved from the Bahrain Raid Xtreme competition car driven by Sebastien Loeb, a nine-time World Champion, to compete in the world’s toughest motorsport race.
Prodrive claims that new model is even more extreme than the one driven by Sebastien Loeb with a 50 percent increase in power from the 3.5-liter V6 twin-turbo engine and more suspension travel to absorb even the most challenging terrain.
Product of successful competition
Ian Callum, who designed the original competition car’s exterior, has returned to the project. He created a new interior suited to everyday use than racing. The driver has access to all critical information via a digital display, while the center console houses the more traditional controls found on a road car.
The Hunter’s engine, drivetrain, and suspension are from the Dakar competition car, but the manual sequential gearbox has been replaced with a six-speed paddle-shift.
Power of V6 engine
Since the hypercar is exempt from strict competition regulations, its power has increased by more than 50%. On Prodrive’s advanced transient dyno, the 3.5 liter twin-turbo V6 was refined and retuned to produce over 600bhp and 700 Nm of torque while making the power delivery smoother and easier to drive.
According to Prodrive, the vehicle is equipped with bespoke 35″ off-road tires designed to optimize grip over rough terrain and sand rather than on tarmac, giving it a 0-100 kph (0-60 mph) time of less than four seconds and a top speed of nearly 300 kph.
Unique construction
The entire car is built on a high-tensile steel space frame chassis, which provides a rigid platform for optimizing suspension geometry and performance and an FIA-standard safety cage for occupant protection.
The all-round double wishbone suspension has 400mm of travel, up from 350mm on the competition car, to provide a smoother ride and even greater ability to cross the roughest terrain at speeds unimaginable in any other vehicle. Its six-pot racing brake calipers and vented discs all around provide ample stopping power on and off the road.
The entire vehicle was created to reduce overall weight and optimize weight distribution and center of gravity. All of the bodywork is made of lightweight carbon composite, including Prodrive Composites’ recycled materials.
