1:18 Top Marques W Motors Lykan Hypersport Review

The W Motors Lykan Hypersport, to give the car it’s full title, is the first Arab supercar and is built by W Motors in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Limited to just 7 units worldwide, this $3.4 million hypercar is the third most expensive vehicle built to date. The pre-production prototype was revealed at the Qatar Motor Show in February 2013. Being car nuts, most of us will remember the red Lykan Hypersport from the film Furious 7 as it flew through the Etihad Towers in Dubai.
It is the first car to have jewel embedded headlights with 420 15 carat diamonds and also features a holographic display system on the centre console with interactive motion features. On the performance front, the Lykan Hypersport is powered by a 3.7 litre twin-turbocharged flat six engine developed by German tuner RUF and produces 780BHP and 960NM of torque. W Motors claim it will go from 0-62MPH in just 2.8 seconds and onto a top speed of 245MPH, but I don’t believe anyone has ever proven these figures accurate.

Top Marques Collectibles produce all sorts of sealed resin models from the Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8 to the Alfa Romeo 4C and Fiat Uno Turbo. This is apparently limited to 300 units, but there isn’t any certificate of authenticity or a plaque on the base of the model to indicate this.

Let’s start with the unboxing experience this time around. This is my first Top Marques model, so I thought I’d share this part of the ritual. The model is presented in a black box in a sleeve embossed with the Top Marques logo. The model is screwed to a lovely looking base (made out of MDF) with the W Motors and Lykan Hypersport logos on a little plaque.

I wouldn’t normally comment on this, but just look at how big those screws are! When you turn the model over, you see that they screw into what essentially looks like 4 wall plugs embedded inside the model – good job it’s a sealed model! Be aware as you’re unscrewing the model from the base, there will be a fair bit of sawdust that comes out due to the base being made of MDF. Another thing to note, is that the spacers between the base and the model appear to be just big enough so that the wheels sit just above the base – I received an Engup Ford GT not long ago which was screwed too tightly to the base and arrived with the wheels exploded due to the pressure exerted on them, so it’s nice to see such consideration after that sort of experience.

Onto the model itself now and just take a look at those angles….. it almost makes a Lamborghini Aventador look tame! I personally think it looks phenomenal and is certainly befitting of the hypercar moniker. I just can’t stop looking at this model, looking at it from every possible angle (and trust me there are loads). The paintjob is truly epic as well – Top Marques list it as Metallic Red, but I think Candy Apple Red is far more appropriate in this instance. The light bounces off the body perfectly and I can’t see any flaws anywhere. It does seem to attract a lot of dust for some reason, so please excuse this in any closeup pictures.

Looking at the exterior details, there is plenty of lovely glossy carbon fibre dotted around. Just look at that mass expanse over the engine bay. There is also a nice little bit on the A-pillar, although I’m not sure it is strictly necessary. The mirrors are also very angular and well replicated.

I’m guessing the sunroof is supposed to ape the W Motors motif and really breaks up the roof well – a lovely design touch if I may say so myself.

If you read my recent AutoArt Lamborghini Murcielago LP640 review (and if you haven’t, why not ;)?), you’d know I’ve got a bit of a thing for perforated grilles. I’m extremely glad to say that Top Marques haven’t disappointed here. They’re almost as plentiful as the many angles! The whole exterior is just a sight to behold. I particularly like the side strakes starting from the front vents and the air intake behind the doors. Enjoy these pictures….

Some more lovely carbon fibre to feast your eyes on.

Onto the badging now and these are nicely replicated and photoetched. There are a fair few dotted around the interior and exterior, including the rear numberplate.

On a sealed model, exterior features such as the wheels and brakes are even more important for the model maker to get right. Again, Top Marques have done a stellar job here with the Y-spoke glossy alloys, realistic looking ceramic composite brake discs and branding on the calipers.

The headlights are OK – when taken in isolation I just wish Top Marques had tried to replicate the jewels somehow. The tail lights are much better and look like they’re actually lit up from some angles.

Looking at the interior, trying to take pictures reminds me of shooting a GT Spirit model. The windows appear to be made out of the same fairly flimsy plastic and with the side window aperture quite small, not to easy to capture in it’s entirety, but I gave it a solid go. There is a cool band of carbon fibre that runs around the top of the dashboard, but what appears to be a dashtop speaker grille looks pretty rubbish to be honest – surely Top Marques could have used a bit of leftover perforated grille from the rest of the car???

The steering wheel looks really well done with a clear W Motors photoetched logo in the centre. Paddles behind the steering wheel are also present. The centre tunnel is covered in carbon fibre with a rather bling looking silver gearlever in the middle. You can sort of make out the holographic media console as well, but it’s not very detailed. There is some stitching in the seats, but this could have been done in gold to match the real car.

 

This is my first Top Marques model and I don’t think it will be my last. I don’t think you’d be disappointed with this model at all and it will have plenty of shelf presence in any collection, not only because of the subject matter itself, but also that lovely paint and exterior detail. Hope you enjoyed this review…..