Williams Advanced Engineering's hypercar builders’ toolkit

Change is sweeping through the automotive industry. Tesla – founded by two Silicon Valley software engineers less than 20 years ago – is now the world’s most valuable car company, worth more than Ford, BMW and Toyota combined. And it’s by no means the only recent arrival that’s shaking things up.

Not even the rarefied world of mega-money hypercars is immune. Croatian engineer Mate Rimac was just 19 years old when he started building electric cars in his garage in 2009. Last year, his company Rimac Automobili, bought Bugatti – builder of the world’s fastest road cars, and a brand that can trace its name back well over a century.

In this brave new world, the key players don’t necessarily come from traditional automotive backgrounds. And those that do may be looking for ways to short-cut the lengthy process of adopting new technology – especially where low-volume halo projects are concerned.

Step forward Williams Advanced Engineering (WAE). Established in 2010 as an offshoot from the hugely experienced Formula 1 team, the company has used its expertise in electric vehicle technology and composite structures to create an ultra-high performance vehicle platform, known as the EVR. This can be scaled to provide anything from a standalone powertrain to a complete rolling chassis, ready to be clothed in the customer’s bespoke bodywork.