WORDS: ELLIOTT HUGHES | PHOTOS: AIM
Japanese engineering firm AIM has announced it will demonstrate its first car, the all-electric AIM EV Sport 01, with timed runs up the Goodwood Festival of Speed Hill in the First Glance class on July 13-16, 2023.
Positive feedback has encouraged AIM to explore putting the car into limited series production
The AIM EV Sport 01 concept was first revealed to the public back in April to demonstrate the company’s engineering capabilities. However, positive feedback has encouraged AIM to explore putting the car into limited series production.
“The vision for the AIM EV Sport 01 was fast and enjoyable to drive; while the mainstream trend for EVs is AWD, the character of this car called for a RWD configuration,” explained AIM CEO Yukinori Suzuki. “I am really excited to be personally driving the car up the Hill at Goodwood this year.”
Shiro Nakamura, the well known automotive designer and former senior vice president of Nissan, was enlisted to lead the Sport 01 design team. Nakamura’s past work includes the R35 GT-R, Cube, Leaf, Qashqai and Murano.
“The EV Sport 01 has minimal form language and avoids exaggerated and complicated surfaces, reminiscent of the great European and Japanese sports cars of the 1960s,” Nakamura said of the design.
Powering the AIM EV Sport 01 are two electric motors on the rear axle, producing a combined output of 483bhp and 545lb ft. The vehicle’s carbonfibre and laminate monocoque chassis, along with its purposefully small dimensions, mean that it weighs 1425kg – 50kg less than a 2016 Nissan Leaf.
While AIM is a newcomer to car building, the company – which was founded back in 1998 – has extensive experience in automotive engineering and design. Motor sport fans will perhaps be more familiar with the company than most, as it previously competed at the Le Mans 24 Hours in 2010 as Team Oreca Matmut AIM. It finished as the highest ICE-powered car and fourth overall.
Find out more about the Goodwood Festival of Speed, which takes place in West Sussex, UK, here.
