The new British electric hypercar maker Dendrobium Automotive Limited recently made its UK public debut to huge acclaim within the stunning surroundings of Blenheim Palace in Oxfordshire, England. The unique, all-electric Dendrobium D-1 wowed the guests at the ultra-exclusive 2018 Salon Privé garden party event, the model attracting enormous interest and many admiring glances, including the attention of His Grace The Duke of Marlborough of Blenheim Palace, who was very keen to discuss the unique and highly-advanced zero-emission D-1 hypercar.
Inspired by nature and rooted in technology, the Dendrobium D-1 fuses a respect for the environment with a design-driven approach to engineering, the car being developed in the UK with the support and expertise of the celebrated Formula 1 company Williams Advance Engineering.
As Salon Privé garden party guests discovered first-hand, the Dendrobium D-1’s design challenges the visual sense of viewers, while drawing out intrigue among the more discerning admirers. The D-1’s delicate marriage of futuristic lines and curves casts dramatic shadows, reflecting the soothing texture of aluminium, carbon fibre and glass, to create a truly distinctive machine that looks like no other supercar or hypercar in the world.
Dendrobium’s focus on having technology embodied in sculpture is a testament to the British marque’s endless pursuit of quality in terms of thought, design and build. With a target weight of just 1,750kgs, the carbon fibre D-1, with its superlight and super strong advance composites and alloys, will represent the true feel of a supercar, not too big and heavy, allied to impressive linear performance, and re-writing the rules for the hypercar ownership experience.
The lightweight construction of the D-1 is based on a unique Protocell carbon tub which has been skillfully engineered with future adaptability for further generations of Dendrobium e-performance cars. In addition to its advanced vehicle technology, the D-1 has enormous drama and presence thanks to its unique Bio-Aerial Locomotion door and roof opening system, which is inspired by the Dendrobium orchid plant which unfurls naturally in a similar manner, from which the new British hypercar company takes its name.
The D-1’s interior is designed around the driver as the absolute centre of attention. Contrasting with the predominantly black carbon fibre interior, the red body-hugging drivers’ sports seat features stitching and motifs inspired by human muscle fibres.
The Dendrobium design team has had conceptual sketches of an electric hypercar on the drawing boards since the mid-1990s, a vision that was many years ahead of its time. As electric technology has advanced, Dendrobium has been able to revisit this vision and now, as the Company launches its revolutionary global e-mobility strategy, the timing is finally right to take the wraps off a halo working prototype model, as displayed to astonished admirers within the beautiful grounds on Blenheim Palace at Salon Privé.
Ahead of the first production examples of the all-electric 1,800bhp D-1, a number of significant and exciting developments at Dendrobium Automotive will be announced shortly, with full details to be confirmed over the coming months.
Commenting on the UK public debut of the D-1 hypercar, Chairman and CEO of Dendrobium Automotive, Nigel Gordon-Stewart said, “After an extensive career in the supercar industry, I can honestly say that Dendrobium Automotive is one of the most exciting and future-focused businesses I've ever been involved with. Using the very latest technology, we are developing what will be the most impressive all-electric hypercar. We are designing our own in-house all-electric power train and we plan to use our own power storage cells moving to solid state as and when the technology is reliable and financially viable.”
Gordon-Stewart continues, “We are developing unique cabling and connector systems as well as our own complete vehicle integration and ADAS hardware and software. From a technical perspective, the D-1 will be a British engineering tour-de-force.” You can be assured that the Dendrobium brand will become synonymous with the most exciting and technically sophisticated e-hypercars on the market and available globally."
