Drako GTE

Drako GTE at a glance

The GTE is a four-seat, four-door electric saloon with four-wheel drive, based on the structure of the Karma Revero GT, itself derived from the Fisker Karma. Its focus is the Drako DriveOS software, which controls each wheel individually. More information about the brand is in our Drako catalogue.

Design

The GTE was designed by Lowie Vermeersch's Granstudio. Vermeersch was previously design director at Pininfarina, where he worked on Ferrari, Maserati and Alfa Romeo projects. The new body is very attractive and full of details aimed at better aerodynamics, which benefit both acceleration and handling.

The short front end is steeply raked and rounded, improving visibility and airflow. The bonnet has a deeply recessed centre section, while its sides bulge outwards in smooth transitions. Below sit slim, aggressive LED headlights. Almost the whole centre of the bumper is taken up by a nearly oval intake with a fine mesh, topped by a gloss-black insert. Two triangular side openings, also meshed, channel air to the brakes.

In profile the GTE has flowing forms and many sculpted surfaces. The side windows form a semicircle framed by a thin body-coloured strip, and the door handles are hidden in the body until someone wants to get in. Wide wheel arches and sporty sills with black trim complete the side view. The car rides on forged 21-inch wheels in road form. The wide rear has a short boot lid with an aerodynamic lip and brake lights, small tail lights with sculpted surroundings and a large metal diffuser; there are, of course, no exhaust pipes.

Interior

The cabin seats four. Large front sports seats have good lateral support, and leather, Alcantara and carbon-fibre trim dominate; the front and rear seats are trimmed in hand-stitched leather and Alcantara. The centre console carries the "Quattro Manettino" - four switches that let the driver set stability control, traction control and torque vectoring, the power split between front and rear, regenerative braking and six driving modes from Ice and Snow through Rain and Dry to Track and Race. Drako says the GTE is meant to be usable for long journeys, and there is some luggage space, although its volume has not been published.

Drivetrain

Each motor drives its own wheel through its own gearbox, with no differentials. Four independent controllers can each deliver anything from +225 kW of drive to −225 kW of regeneration, so the DriveOS software can not only cut torque at an individual wheel but also brake it regeneratively. DriveOS adjusts the torque at each wheel more than 1,000 times per second, and its algorithms were developed at the Nürburgring.

The battery is rated at 1,800 A continuously and 2,200 A at peak, supplying up to 900 kW. To make this possible, Drako's engineers developed an elaborate liquid cooling system that surrounds every cell, with three radiators in the front of the car. No acceleration figures were published at the reveal, but the top speed is 332 km/h.

Chassis

The GTE uses fully independent suspension with Öhlins TTX 36 dampers that are fully adjustable four ways. A Track Edition set-up with different suspension tuning and tyres was offered. The brakes are Brembo carbon-ceramic discs front and rear - 395 mm in diameter, 36 mm thick at the front and 32 mm at the rear. Road cars use 21-inch Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tyres, while the track configuration uses 20-inch Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tyres.

Key specifications

Strengths and weaknesses

The GTE's strengths are its enormous power, the precise individual-wheel control made possible by four motors and DriveOS, a genuinely usable four-seat cabin, high-quality materials, Öhlins suspension and carbon-ceramic brakes. Its weaknesses are a very high price, a production run of only 25 cars, a kerb weight of more than 2.4 tonnes and the lack of published acceleration and charging-time figures. Its natural rivals are the Tesla Model S in its fastest versions and electric hypercars such as the Lotus Evija, although the GTE stands out as a four-seat saloon.