- First Zenvo Aurora prototype, VP0, unveiled at opening day of Goodwood Festival of Speed
- ‘Mjølner’ quad-turbo V12 powertrain fired up for the first time publicly by the Duke of Richmond
- Aurora takes to the famous Hill for first public running
- Watch as Zenvo Automotive prepares to welcome a new era https://youtu.be/whPdXGUJg2w?si=WSDm1dLGTi8tMtxn
Denmark, 10 July 2025: Zenvo Automotive has reached two major milestones in the development journey for the Aurora hypercar at the opening day of the Goodwood Festival of Speed. For the first time publicly, the quad turbo V12 heart of Aurora – the ‘Mjølner’ powertrain – was heard, before the first prototype was displayed dynamically, taking to the famous Hillclimb route in front of thousands of gathered spectators.
The development programme for Aurora continues at pace, and this latest stage is a further achievement for the technical team, bringing the new Aurora to life.
Wearing ‘harlequin’ camouflage, the covers were removed from the first prototype – VP0 – which showcased the final production bodywork styling of the more classically design Tur model. The key moment of the morning saw the Duke of Richmond joined by Zenvo Automotive Chairman, Jens Sverdrup, to bring life to the newly developed V12 powertrain.
The story continued as Chief Engineer, Javier Castrane, demonstrated Aurora in front of Goodwood House. Aurora will remain on display in the Supercar Paddock throughout the full Goodwood Festival of Speed weekend, with further demonstration runs.
“This was more than simply the first public showing of the car, but a major moment in the overall development programme,” explained Jens Sverdrup, Chairman, Zenvo Automotive. “VP0 is not only the first running prototype of the Aurora project, but for Zenvo during this latest phase of the company.
“Since previewing the Aurora project in 2023, we have created something completely new. The company has been strengthened in all areas, both internally and through important technical and retail partners. The whole team has also been working tirelessly to create Aurora – a genuine blank sheet hypercar. We had the overall target and framework set out for what we wanted to achieve, but the route to success was not defined. We have now built and developed something truly unique in the world of modern hypercars, and across the wider automotive industry.
“There were some things that simply were not going to work, or which wouldn’t deliver the figures we wanted, so we have taken the big decision to design, build and develop everything from scratch. The engine was one such item, which has been painstakingly developed and refined to meet the performance targets Aurora deserves. With that, today is a hugely important and momentous day for everyone at Zenvo Automotive.”
Independent powertrain consultancy, MAHLE Powertrain, has been a constant partner on the Aurora’s journey to conquer the Goodwood hill climb. Beyond developing and building the engine, its expert team of engineers have been on-hand both in the UK and Denmark to support Zenvo Automotive with engine calibration and mechanical development.
John Hollingworth, Sales and Marketing Director at MAHLE Powertrain, said: “As the Goodwood Festival of Speed is the beating heart of the automotive calendar, the powertrain is the beating heart of the Aurora. Our engineering team has worked relentlessly to develop an awe-inspiring engine and calibration to ensure that the car makes an impact on its dynamic debut. We are immensely proud to work with Zenvo Automotive and excited to show off the Aurora’s revolutionary Mjølner V12 engine for the first time. I would personally like to thank our excellent team of engineers for showing the world our capabilities as a flexible engineering partner for end-to-end, technology agnostic powertrain solutions.”
Built on the all-new ZM1 modular monocoque design from Zenvo, developed with carbon structure experts Managing Composites, every parameter is maximised to the threshold of limitations and compromise.
Lluc Marti, Chief Executive Officer at Managing Composites, added: “Collaborating with Zenvo from the earliest concept stages has been a dream project that challenged us to push the limits of composite engineering, and of our own company, resulting in a platform truly worthy of the Aurora’s vision.
“Managing Composites is proud to have engineered and delivered the complete structural development of the Zenvo Aurora, including the carbon fibre monocoque, crash structures, and all exterior body panels. Starting from a clean sheet, our team focused on pushing the boundaries of lightweight construction, performance, safety, and structural integrity, while enabling the extreme packaging and aerodynamic requirements of a modern hypercar. By leveraging advanced composite technologies, typically reserved for Formula 1 and aerospace applications, we have developed a structure that not only meets the rigorous demands of a hypercar, but also embodies the rare design freedom and technical ambition of the Aurora project.”