Supercar

The slick lines and racing heritage of Tony Parker’s head-turning Hulme supercar has won a Best Design Award in the Designers Institute of New Zealand's annual awards.

Named in honour of New Zealand’s only Formula One World Champion Denny Hulme, the Hulme is a racing machine designed for road use.

Coordinating the team that designed the new car, Tony Parker is an Associate Professor and head of Massey University’s College of Creative Arts, where he teaches in the industrial design programme.

“New Zealand has established a reputation for building the best yachts in the world. I believe we also have the technical capabilities and the industrial infrastructure to create a quality, hand-built performance car,’’ said Professor Parker.

The Hulme supercar is a mid-engine design with a high-tech powertrain and chassis that gives the driver the feeling of driving a Formula One car on the road. The car features a modified BMW M5 engine joined to a specially designed transaxle, wrapped in a carbon fibre body.

The design captures the essence of Formula One for ordinary road users – albeit wealthy ones. A price has not yet been set, but it is expected to sell for somewhere between $400,000 and $600,000.