Wired UK - 11.2019

060

WORDS: ALEX DOAK; ANDREW DIPROSE

ELECTRIC RACER_

Lito Sora Generation 2

Electric Superbike

Ten years in development,

Lito Motorcycles brings

it’s premier road-ready

electric ride to market –

albeit in a limited edition

of just 20 examples. The

Sora Generation 2 has a

battery delivering 50 per

cent more range than the

prototype – that’s up to a

real-world-ready 290km. The

liquid-cooled, three-phase

permanent magnet AC motor

will hurl you to 100kph in

three blurred seconds, and

on to nearly 200kph, and its

dashboard is a single, all-in-

one 5.7in LCD touchscreen.

$82,250 (£66,870)

litomotorcycles.com

E-LAND AND SEA _

Nikola NZT and WAV

Nikola (yes, as in Nikola

Tesla) presents its sci-fi-

styled, lithium-powered,

all-terrain NZT utility vehicle.

Looking like a cross between

a tractor and a dune buggy,

it boasts four independent

motors at each wheel,

integrated e-axles with the

inverter and gearbox, and a

rollicking 590hp and 0-100kph

acceleration in four seconds.

In tow is its next adventure in

EV: the all-electric WAV jetski.

$80,000 nikolamotor.com

Martin and Quintessence’s

AM37 powerboat – a tasteful

exercise in teak and carbon

fibre – weighed anchor in

2016, followed swiftly by

Toyota’s luxury division,

Lexus. Toyota Marine’s

Ponam line had already

established itself as Japan’s

market leader in premium

yachts, but 2017’s sinuous

ROUGH RIDER_

Cérvelo Áspero Gravel Bike

Built for gravel racing, the

Áspero (Spanish for “rough”)

features a paired-down

carbon frame with aero-

style seat-stays, a burly

down-tube protector and no

rack mounts (this ain’t no

touring rig). With a capacity

for 42mm tyres on a 700c

wheel or 49mm tyres on a

smaller 650b wheel, Cérvelo

are again pegging themselves

at the racier end of the

market. The most unique

feature of the Áspero? The

42ft Lexus Sport Yacht raised

the bar, hotly pursued by the

LY 650 – a 65ft, six-berth

Lexus Luxury Yacht, due to

launch in autumn 2019 and

developed in partnership with

the master craftsmen of the

Marquis-Larson boat group in

Wisconsin. Powered by twin

800hp Volvo IPS engines, it’s

the distinctly Lexus design

that’s everything: the elegant

rise and fall of the yacht’s

roofline flows into the rising

rear section. Inside, it’s pure,

leather-trimmed decadence.

£tbc lexusyachts.com

fork. Switching around the

Trail Mixer – the metal insert

positioned at the “drop out”

where the fork meets the

centre of the wheel – changes

the “rake” (or fore-aft offset)

by 5mm, altering the bike’s

handling characteristics to

suit the chosen wheel size.

Complete bike from £2,699

to £5,399, also available

as frame-only cervelo.com

RIDE/PARK/RIDE_ >

BMW 8 Series Gran Coupé

and Micro E-Scooter

If Micro’s special edition 150-

watt, 20kph BMW E-Scooter is

the toy your inner child craves,

the all-new 8 Series Gran

Coupé is the toy you crave

that accommodates your

actual child. BMW’s answer

to the Porsche Panamera,

this is a grand-touring

sports coupé with four-door

practicality. The 8 Series also

features Apple CarPlay-over-

Bluetooth, a superb head-up

display, and BMW’s advanced

driver aids – steering assist

on motorways coupled with

advanced cruise control give

a glimpse of the autonomous

future. And, should you need

to park a distance from your

destination, break out that

BMW E-Scooter from the boot

for an eco-friendly last mile.

From £69,340 OTR bmw.co.uk

SUPERIOR CRUISING_

Lexus LY 650 Luxury

Production Yacht

Luxury carmakers are no

strangers to the world’s

exclusive waterfronts – the

flowing forms of a superyacht

are catnip to any automotive

designer, eager to translate

their tarmac-bound design

language to the waves.

Ferrari kicked things off in the

early 90s with a run of rosso

corsa Riva runabouts. Aston

| | | | | | | |

| | | | | | | |

| | | | | | | |

| | | | | | | |

SECTION 0.4 _GEAR OF THE YEAR 2019_MOTION

11-19-GEgearoftheyear.indd 60 17/09/2019 15:40