Drako Motors stirred the crowd at The Quail, a Motorsports Gathering in Monterey with the Drako GTE electric supercar. Drako Motors is a new electric startup from Silicon Valley founded by Dean Drako and Shiv Sikand. If those names sound familiar, it’s because Drako is also the co-founder and CEO of Barracuda Networks. Meanwhile, Sikand is an electrical engineer by profession and is also co-founder of IC Manage.
With a comprehensive resume, both men seem to know what they’re doing as they unveiled the Drako GTE. We think it’s a nice-looking car, and we certainly agree it’s aimed squarely at the Tesla Model 3 and upcoming models of the Porsche Taycan and Audi e-tron GT.
And why not? The Drako GT is a proper four-seat sedan with four doors, it’s all-electric, and it looks magnificent. But it does look strangely familiar, doesn’t it?
The Drako GTE is based on the underpinnings of the Fisker Karma
Remember the Fisker Karma? As it turns out, the Drako GTE is not the only car at Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance that is based on the Fisker Karma. On a different note, Karma Automotive went full force with the Revero GT and Karma GT by Pininfarina. However, both Karma’s are hybrid-electric, with the Revero GT having a 1.5-liter turbocharged three-cylinder mill from the BMW i8.
Karma says the chassis is based on the Fisker Karma, but the body panels are unique. The front styling resembles the mug of a lovechild between the Ferrari FF and Mazda MX-5 Miata while the rear looks eerily similar to a Toyota Supra, albeit wider and more purposeful.
Whatever the case, the low stance and sporting details make the Drako GTE a definitive looker.
The GTE has a quad motor architecture
The Tesla Model S, Audi e-tron GT, and Porsche Taycan makes do with two electric motors. But Drako wanted the GTE to be more than just grand touring sedan, and they did the next best thing: give the freaking car a quad motor architecture. For goodness sake, the Drako GTE has four electric motors, which means there’s one motor for each wheel!
With this setup, the Drako GTE is inching closer to electric hypercar territory. It’s in the same company as the marvelous Pininfarina Battista and the outstanding Lotus Evija, which are both churning an average of 2,000 horsepower with four electric motors.
The Drako GTE still has 1,200 horsepower to play with
Mind you, 1,200 horsepower is a LOT of horses in a car. Although this output pales in comparison to the Battista and Evija, the Drako GTE is still a four-door sedan, to begin with. And like I said, it’s easy to get in trouble with all that power on tap.
But that’s not the mind-boggling part. Drako says the GTE churns out an astonishing 6,500 pound-feet of torque (8,880 Nm). We have no idea how this thing accelerates from zero to 60 mph, but we do know the GTE has a top speed of 206 mph (331 kph), which is more than enough to outrun a conventional petrol-powered sports car.
The GTE also has four gearboxes
All that power is fed directly to all four wheels, with each roller getting a single direct-drive gearbox. This enables precise torque delivery to improve handling and performance. Drako says the GTE has a maximum torque differential of 3,250 pound-feet (4,400 Nm) between wheels. As you approach a corner, the system can deliver up to 1,625 pound-feet (2,200 Nm) of positive torque to the wheels on the outside of the turn, while also applying 1,625 pound-feet of negative torque to the inside wheels.
In plain speak, this means the Drako GTE can attack a racetrack with confidence while having the ability to conquer a wide, sweeping corner like riding on rails.
It costs $1.25 million
Drako is planning to only make 20 units of the GTE with a base price of $1.25 million. This includes the hi-tech 90 kWh battery pack, 15 kW onboard charger, and 150 kW fast-charging port. The car also receives Brembo carbon-ceramic brakes and 21-inch monoblock forged one-piece wheels with Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tires.
First deliveries of the Drako GTE are expected to arrive in 2020. Surprisingly, the order books are still open, and you can reserve a unit by signing up at the official Drako Motors website.