A young American company, Dacora Motors, has just presented its first neo-retro concept car, inspired by the cars of the inter-war years, modernised and 100% electric.
If there’s one thing that car enthusiasts, whether they run on watts or benzine, can agree on, it’s their love of concept cars. And the one that Dacora Motors, a young American company founded by Kristie D’Ambrosio-Correll, an engineer, and her husband Eric, has just presented is likely to put everyone on the same wavelength. It combines the slightly Art Deco elegance of 1930s design with 100% electric performance and modern standards.
With its long, solid walnut bonnet, a cabin crammed with analogue dials, backlit buttons and wood veneers, and dizzyingly massive curves reminiscent of an old Cadillac, it almost feels like you’re on the streets of a mafia-ridden Chicago at the height of Prohibition, but certain technical and technological details, notably the screens and haptic buttons, take us back to 2025. Still at the concept stage, this large saloon, which could well be driven by any Batman villain, could nonetheless go into production very soon, according to Dacora Motors.
Dacora Motors, 800 bhp, 600 km range and… 500,000 dollars!
In terms of power, this Dacora develops the equivalent of 800 bhp and has a claimed range of 400 miles (643 kilometres), enough to cover the distance between Los Angeles and Las Vegas without recharging, despite weighing almost three tonnes. That’s if you’ve still got a bit of change to put in the red at the roulette wheel, because to buy the Dacora you’ll have to shell out 500,000 dollars. At that price, owners will be able to personalise their cars, from the livery to the colour of the leather and the wood types. The least they can do.
Electricity seems to have given the traditional manufacturers the runaround, and on the whole they are playing it safe with minimalist, futuristic and repetitive designs, gradually losing their visual identity. So it’s rather refreshing to see young upstarts like Dacora Motors going in the opposite direction with a car with such an assertive character. It remains to be seen whether this will be enough to overshadow Rolls-Royce and its electric Spectre, which costs almost €400,000. For that to happen, the Dacora saloon would have to go from concept to production. And while it’s important to remain cautious, the buzz around this type of neo-retro model is very strong, and it wouldn’t be surprising to see the first Dacora Motors leave the factory in a small production run. Indeed, according to Kristie and Eric, pre-orders have already exceeded their production capacity! One thing’s for sure: it will be made in the United States, with the added expertise of Pininfarina… and that’s saying something!
