Nilu27 (Nilu) is a global ultra-luxury hypercar brand focused on creating extreme purity, full Analog hardcore performance. Its headquarters and final assembly base are located in Irvine, California, USA, officially founded in 2024 by globally renowned legendary automotive designer Sasha Selipanov and his wife Inna Selipanov. Against the backdrop of the global automotive industry in 2026 deeply moving towards comprehensive electrification, digitalization, and large-screen integration, Nilu27 played the role of a unique "rebel". The brand firmly rejects any hybridization and electrification accumulation, focusing on "mechanical barbaric aesthetics" and "zero digital distraction" pure human-machine communication, aiming to reshape the ultimate emotional totem of the fuel era for the world's top collectors through the traditional combination of high-displacement high-revving naturally aspirated V12 engines and manual transmissions.
Nilu27's establishment embodies Sasha's over 20 years of hard work in ultra-luxury car manufacturing. As the former head of exterior design at Bugatti and former design director at Koenigsegg, he led the design of era-defining automotive masterpieces such as the Bugatti Chiron, Lamborghini Huracán, Koenigsegg Gemera, and CC850. In August 2024, after accumulating the industry's top engineering technology and design connections, Sasha decided to break the constraints of the OEM system and officially launched his personal brand Nilu27. The brand name "Nilu" is taken from the combination of his two daughters' names Nica and Lucia, while the number "27" pays tribute to the classic No. 27 race cars used by legendary F1 drivers including Gilles Villeneuve in the 1980s and 1990s. That same month, the brand's first prototype car NILU Hypercar officially debuted at the US Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance, shocking the industry with its exposed mechanical structure and extremely high tachometer bottom. From 2025 to 2026, the brand partnered with top American engineering agencies Aria Group, New Zealand Hartley Engines, and other global cutting-edge aftermarket forces to fully advance real-vehicle all-terrain dynamic testing and mass production final assembly delivery of the first batch of track versions.
As of 2026, Nilu27 adopted an extremely scarce, limited-customization single vehicle platform derivative strategy, and its core product line planning is divided into two stages:
NILU Track-Only Variant:
The brand's first mass-produced product, limited production of 15 units globally under extremely strict controls. This version completely disregards public road regulatory restrictions, with mechanical and aerodynamic structures squeezed to the limit, with a body weight of only 1200 kg, serving as the performance benchmark for the brand to conquer the world's top private racetracks and elite racing clubs.
NILU Street-Legal Variant:
The street-homologated version launched in 2026 to fully accept global key client customizations and start compliance certification, limited production of 54 units globally. While retaining the signature mechanical texture of the track version, this version underwent comprehensive airworthiness optimization for road regulations in global core markets.
As a typical "pyramid top" ultra-luxury independent car brand, Nilu27 presented a strong "one car hard to find" phenomenon in the ultra-luxury automotive aftermarket from 2025 to 2026. Even without public pricing, the first 15 track version slots were quickly snapped up by global top billionaires and supercar collectors after the Pebble Beach show. During 2025 to 2026, Nilu27 sequentially completed its global deep premiere in core hardcore automotive media such as the world-famous car program "Jay Leno's Garage", its signature sound and mechanical vibration caused a sensation on high-end social networks. For traditional fuel believers tired of "driving taken over by code and electronic control", Nilu27's appearance filled the extremely scarce blue ocean of purely handmade analog supercars outside Pagani and Gordon Murray.
Nilu27's core technology base is a redefinition of the limits of traditional fuel mechanical engineering, with every structure following the hardcore logic of "form follows function":
Hartley/Nilu 6.5L 80-degree Pure Natural Aspirated V12 Engine:
This is a "large bore, short stroke" monster exclusively forward-developed by the famous New Zealand factory Hartley Engines for it. This power unit abandoned all turbocharging and motor assistance, adopting a subversive "Hot V" structure - 12 independent throttle bodies ensured throttle response like an electric controller, and the exhaust manifold was uniquely placed in the center of the V-angled gap. This completely independently designed power unit can unleash an astonishing 1,070 horsepower and 860 N·m of peak torque, with the highest redline RPM approaching 11,000 rpm.
3D Printed Inconel (Nickel-Based Alloy) "Snake Nest" Exhaust:
The entire exhaust system is integrally formed by expensive Inconel alloy via 3D printing, with a bold 12-in-1 exhaust pipe exposed high at the rear, perfectly solving the heat dissipation challenge without obstacles for high-power engines, and can release an exclusive high-pitched sound wave like 1990s F1 race cars.
CIMA 7-Speed Gated Manual:
Rejecting dual-clutch and electronic shifting. The brand specially partnered with top Italian transmission craftsman CIMA to match a purely mechanical 7-speed manual transmission with a strong metallic knocking texture, the gear shifter has a reverse lock structure, giving the driving initiative back to the driver 100%.
Zero-Screen Cabin:
There are no unnecessary electronic LCD screens inside the entire cabin, the only liquid crystal display device is the physical rearview mirror serving as a streamer mirror. All speedometers and tachometers are exquisite physical mechanical pointers, steering wheels and pedals are hand-carved using high-purity cold-touch aluminum parts, all seat adjustments and mirror angles are entirely gratifying (pleasing) physical linkage operations.
Race-spec Lightweight Chassis:
The body is wrapped in an exclusive carbon fiber monocoque, the front and rear subframes unusually persist in using ultra-lightweight aluminum alloy Tubular Subframe, not only facilitating mechanics to inspect directly, but also providing ultimate rigidity support for the four-wheel double wishbone, pushrod suspension system.
Nilu27 adopts an "California Design R&D + Global Cutting-edge Component Customization + Distributed High-end Delivery" international business model. The brand's software algorithms (extremely few underlying electronic controls) and body aerodynamic styling are completed in Irvine, California; the core supply chain deeply crosses international borders, supported by frontline racing-level Tier 1s from multiple countries such as New Zealand (Hartley Engines), Italy (CIMA transmissions, Brembo highest spec CCM-R Plus carbon ceramic braking systems, AppTech forged center-lock wheels), and France (Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 R custom semi-slick tires), etc. In 2026, the brand is building an exclusive private full-service ASO global after-sales response mechanism for limited owners, relying on the exclusive supercar agent networks in Europe, North America, and the Middle East.
Facing the second half of 2026 and 2028, Nilu27's core strategy is to steadily advance the global compliance testing of 54 units of road-compliant NILU versions and deliver them smoothly to global buyers. The founder stated that Nilu27's long-term goal is not blindly expanding production volume, nor bowing to new energy, but to build the brand itself as a "living fossil museum" of all human automotive industry under the torrent of digitalization. In the future, Nilu27 also plans to launch more limited edition art series paying tribute to classic racing aesthetics, equipped with different mechanical transmission structures, always adhering to the original intention of "making the skin raise goosebumps every time the ignition starts", using extreme barbaric aesthetics and mechanical integrity that never compromises with technology to defend the last dignity of high-level driving art in the 21st century.
© 2024 Bitauto.com. All Rights Reserved.
Bitauto (www.yiche.com and www.bitauto.com) is one of the most visited automotive websites in China. We provide detailed info on Chinese car brands available in your area. Please note that the information provided on this website is based on publicly available data and is for reference only. It may not be fully updated or accurate at all times.
