Laraki Fulgura

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The Laraki Fulgura was created by a Moroccan gentleman named Abdeslam Laraki in Casablanca and it was hailed as the first truly Arabian supercar. Since most of this car, except perhaps the bodywork, was European this is perhaps taking that definition a little far.

Laraki had made his fortune providing yachts for extremely rich clients. He believed he knew where their tastes lay and he set out to provide the perfect car for them. He does not seem to have been extremely successful in that aim however.

On the face of it this was one amazing car. The basic frame and running gear was very similar to those of the Lamborghini Diablo, but the engine, in 2003, was a 6 litre Mercedes-Benz quad turbo V12 which was originally estimated to produce a jawdropping 920 horsepower! With an aerodynamically designed carbon fibre body this car had an estimated top speed of 247 mph with 0 to 62mph in 3.3 seconds. This would have put it of course amongst the fastest cars in the world. The only problem was that these figures were provided by the manufacturer, and no independent reviewer was given access to a car to put them to the test.

By 2006 some new figures were given out. The power output was now 730 horsepower with a top speed of 217 mph. Standing start to 62 mph now took 3.4 seconds.

The engine was fitted lengthways just behind the seats, powering the rear wheels. This would presumably have given the car good balance and cornering ability.

The problem is that no one knows for certain. Again, All the facts were provided by the manufacturer and not by independent experts. No road test reviews were published and no sales figures were made available.

Were the claimed performance figures correct? How many cars were sold? If any at all?

No answers to these queries have been forthcoming and the Fulgura has been possibly the fastest forgotten supercar in motoring history.