Denmark is not a common name you’d come across in the world of supercars. Predominantly, you’d associate the term with Italians in the past but nowadays one can find marques from almost every part of the globe. One such moniker to have entered the supercar realm is Zenvo. Pretty sure the name is familiar thanks in part to Top Gear.
Although the review for the ST1 supercar wasn’t positive at the least, the particular episode was rather fiery. That said, the car was definitely one that would pique an interest if you’re an enthusiast. For one, the Zenvo ST1 had around 1,100 horsepower and came equipped with a manual gearbox. However, later iterations of the ST1 favored a flappy-paddle transmission.
This should make it worthy of a topic for conversation. However, most people tend to have a negative picture in their mind and we’d urge them to reconsider. The Zenvo ST1 was a proper supercar with all the right ingredients.
For a first try, with only 15 ever produced, the Zenvo ST1 was a remarkable offering from the Danish marque. Although not as special as a Ferrari, the ST1 had character, a distinct presence that in a way justified its $1.8 million price tag.
Zenvo ST1: Engine And Performance
The meat of the conversation would be the Zenvo ST1’s massive powerplant. The engine was a 7.0-liter twin-charged (using both Supercharging and Turbocharging technology, hence the name ST1) V8 developed by the folks at Zenvo. The engine was based on the LS7 motor and thanks to Zenvo’s sorcery, power figures topped at 1,100 horsepower and 1,055 lb-ft of torque. Insane numbers for a supercar to have debuted in 2009.
Equally impressive was its performance figures where 0-60 was clocked at 3 seconds while 0-124 mph took just 8.9 seconds. The Zenvo ST1 had an electronically-limited top speed of 233 mph. Transmission options were limited to a 6-speed manual and a 7-speed automated single-clutch unit.
Zenvo ST1: Driving Dynamics
Because the ST1 made astronomical figures, it was close to impossible to extract the true potential of such a car. Although Zenvo did come up with a clever traction control system it wasn’t really helping a lot. That said, the Zenvo ST1 had 3 driving modes; Wet, Sport, and Track. The Wet mode saw power being restricted to a measly 650 horsepower while Sport took it to 850 brake and Track unleashed the full 1,100 horsepower. This setup did help tame the beastly ST1 to some extent.
If you don’t know what you’re doing and were to show the slightest bit of enthusiasm, they’d have to peel you off the road. Someone with more professional experience could handle the ST1 better. Even then they’d find the Zenvo a bit more lively and one that requires a lot of concentration.
Zenvo ST1: Purposeful Interior
To be honest, we don’t think the interior is the ST1’s forte. It seemed rather dull and reminds you of a mundane commuter or some sort of kit car. It is made to handle the sort of forces this Zenvo could generate, but we think they could’ve done better. It’s not what you’d expect for something that’s worth such a lot. But it’s not all bad though, the minimalist instrument cluster is all digital and seems to have everything well laid out. The readouts are brightly lit and is perfectly set up in your line of sight.
The interior was predominantly Alcantara and you’d find a lot of quilting especially on the seats and door cards. Also, the center stack came with an array of buttons that included separate ones for ignition and engine start. Not something common these days. You’d come across the infotainment screen sitting just above with not much to point out. It’s similar to any infotainment unit of that time and seemed a bit laggy, although it did everything as it should.
Zenvo ST1: A Bit Of A Gamble
This we suspect is one of the reasons why the Zenvo couldn’t make the impression it wanted to. Because Zenvo as a carmaker was new to the market and the fact that the world’s greatest motoring show portrayed an awfully bad picture made it all the more difficult. Also, the asking price of $1.8 million was very steep and people started to think of it as a gamble. If you were to spend that sort of money, would you go out and buy a Zenvo? In 2009, especially with the economy reviving, we’d say no. This was the exact scene when Pagani and Koenigsegg started off and look at where they are now.
Also, we think, Zenvo was ahead of its time, because now if you were to find a hypercar marque, they usually tend to sell out rather quickly. Given that the supercar industry has seen a lot more acceptance and cars of such magnitude started finding buyers. Zenvo did bring out the TS1 GT in 2016 as a successor to the ST1 and several limited-run specials called the TSR and TSR-S were commissioned soon after. Post the TS1 GT, the reception and general acceptance of Zenvo became less hostile.
Sources: CarAndDriver, Wikipedia, YouTube
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