Automotive

US startup aims to create world's fastest production car with LM2 Streamliner

US startup aims to create world's fastest production car with LM2 Streamliner
Lyons Motor Car is set to debut its LM2 Streamliner prototype hypercar at the New York Auto Show
Lyons Motor Car is set to debut its LM2 Streamliner prototype hypercar at the New York Auto Show
View 5 Images
Lyons Motor Car is set to debut its LM2 Streamliner prototype hypercar at the New York Auto Show
1/5
Lyons Motor Car is set to debut its LM2 Streamliner prototype hypercar at the New York Auto Show
The LM2 Streamliner will apparently be able to accelerate from 0-60 mph (0-97 km/h) in 2.2 seconds
2/5
The LM2 Streamliner will apparently be able to accelerate from 0-60 mph (0-97 km/h) in 2.2 seconds
The LM2 Streamliner will have a claimed top speed of 290 mph (467 km/h)
3/5
The LM2 Streamliner will have a claimed top speed of 290 mph (467 km/h)
The settings for the LM2 Streamliner will be controlled via a touchscreen panel or a smartphone app
4/5
The settings for the LM2 Streamliner will be controlled via a touchscreen panel or a smartphone app
The LM2 Streamliner has a 9-in (23-cm) diameter exhaust port
5/5
The LM2 Streamliner has a 9-in (23-cm) diameter exhaust port
View gallery - 5 images

Lyons Motor Car is not a carmaker with which many people will be familiar, having only been founded in 2011 and not having ever released a car. All that may be about to change though. If the firm is to be believed, it is set to unveil what will be the world's fastest car at the New York International Auto Show.

Founded by Kevin Lyons, the company believes there is no US car that can compete with the likes of Bugatti, Pagani, Ferrari and Lamborghini. As such, it says it has set out to build a hypercar to do just that.

The LM2 Streamliner will apparently be powered by a 1,700 hp twin turbocharged 8.2-L V8 engine. According to Lyons, that will get the car from 0-60 mph (0-97 km/h) in a blistering 2.2 seconds and will give it a top speed of 290 mph (467 km/h).

Those figures would make the LM2 Streamliner the world's fastest production car. At the moment, however, it remains purely hypothetical. The vehicle is said only to be at prototype stage, and that's what will be on show in New York.

The LM2 Streamliner will have a claimed top speed of 290 mph (467 km/h)
The LM2 Streamliner will have a claimed top speed of 290 mph (467 km/h)

Amongst its other proposed features are a carbon fiber chassis tub and a carbon fiber body that doesn't look quite like anything else. It is at once bulbous and curved, but also sharp and pointy. Its titanium and billet aluminum suspension has Luxury and Sport settings that adjust the ride quality, and Brembo carbon ceramic brakes are employed to keep a lid on things.

Also noteworthy are the planned innards of the LM2. Lyons says the car has the most advanced fully microprocessor-controlled electrical system ever, and that it is built without chassis wiring harnesses, breakers, relays, fuses, buttons, toggle switches or levers. Users will control the vehicle settings via a 16-in touchscreen control center mounted on the dash or via a mobile app on their smartphone.

The LM2 has no door handles, with access provided by touching a capacitive sensor. Wing mirrors have been replaced with cameras that relay video feeds to screens inside the vehicle, and the car's headlights and tail lights are LEDs.

The Lyons Motor Car Streamliner LM2 prototype will be on display at the New York International Auto Show from Apr. 3-12. An all-electric version of the vehicle is also planned.

Source: Lyons Motor Car

View gallery - 5 images
11 comments
11 comments
Jon Smith
Sorry I don't care how rich I am or how fast and prestigious that car is I would never own something that ugly.
MattII
By the time this comes along I suspect it will be in a tight running with Koenigsegg.
BZD
I highly doubt they will ever make it happen.
Take fx. the 2.2 seconds to 60 considering what else is out there to me that seems highly unlikely to be possible on street tires (and we gotta be talking street tires else the figures stated are nowhere neat being the world fastest car). Simply put street tires won't bring the traction needed to get anything going that fast - lugging a great big V8 around doesn't help.
Also for the car to be the fastest production anything it needs to be in production. If they make it that sure will be cool, but if not they won't be the first company to make bold claims only to fall short on delivery.
The Skud
If you ever get a seagull foul a camera there goes your rear vision! I also worry about the need for ever-increasing the electronics side of car systems ... one tiny bug activated in a way the coder did not foresee - maybe turning on the heater on a hot day - and your car is a dead lump of metal.
RehRek
I would like to see a US car that could compete with some of the worlds best super cars. The problem is that the US is NOT known for its ability to compete. And to say that they will be able to beat out the competition with their very first car is just silly.
I would be extremely happy with being in the top 10 if I were them, of course who ever actually shoots for 2nd place anyway?
VoiceofReason
How do I get my burger into the car at the drive thru?
Griffin
Unfortunately, it sounds more like a contender for the title of "the world's next Vector".
It has a lot in common with it in many ways,including drivetrain choice&extreme claims.
Until it's proven, it's just more vapourware.
Purclewan
Hope they test it in a straight line or a large oval. Not to many cars from the USA no matter how fast can cope with corners :-}
David McElroy
This car will be sold only for rich boys' bragging rights. It is highly impractical and those fancy electronics will be so vulnerable to hackers. They even advertise using a smartphone to control it! And who needs to travel 290 mph on a road, or could even handle a car at those speeds on a race track? A Corvette is enough sports car for the highway. Doing twice the legal freeway speed should be plenty!
David Chartrand
Veyron rubber lasts about 12 miles at top speed. You'll be replacing tires every Thursday on this thing.
Load More