The landscape of performance motoring has long been dictated by the roar of the internal combustion engine and, more recently, the silent surge of electric power.
Yet, a third contender, arguably the most promising for the future of zero-emissions motoring, took centre stage last month as the Fast F61H V12 supercar was unveiled at The Ritz-Carlton Abu Dhabi.
This vehicle is significant not just for its striking design and performance, but because it champions hydrogen-powered internal combustion engine technology.
The event in the capital served as more than a product unveiling – it was a statement from Fast Auto that power trains like the one under the bonnet of the F61H are a viable, high-performance and environmentally sound pathway for the future of the supercar.
Company co-founder and chief creative officer Ken Okuyama introduced the vehicle to the crowd, getting behind the wheel and revving the engine of a display model.
This prompted a blast of water vapour from the car’s twin exhausts amid a cacophony similar in tone and volume to what would be expected from a more traditional supercar.
Speaking to The National, Okuyama said the F61H is an innovative vehicle that is a combination of Italian design and Japanese customer focus and engineering.
“It might look like just another beautiful supercar, but what’s inside is a hydrogen-powered internal combustion engine,” he said. “And while only water comes out of the exhaust pipe, you get the same excitement in the sound of driving and performance.”
The F61H is heavily inspired by a storied past, drawing direct lineage from the Pininfarina Birdcage concept, a collaborative project that embodied futuristic sports design.
The F61H, which carries the Barchetta style that pays tribute to the epoch-making Maserati Tipo 61 competition model, is designed to challenge the present by retaining the motifs of the original while applying the latest zero-emission technology.
The history of hydrogen in the automotive world is long, dating back to the 19th-century engines developed by inventors like Francois Isaac de Rivaz. Now, two centuries on, it has evolved into the current technology, which Fast Auto champions.
The central feature of the F61H is its near-zero emissions – primarily just water vapour and trace amounts of nitrogen oxide due to the presence of air in the combustion process.
The result is an engine producing around 500 horsepower. Fast Auto promotes its products as providing the same or better performance than traditional power trains while achieving these zero emissions when operating on green hydrogen.
The decision to base the launch in Abu Dhabi is strategic, Fast Auto says, aligning with the UAE’s interest in hydrogen as part of its future energy strategy.
The manufacturer points out that hydrogen power offers advantages over electric vehicles, notably quick refuelling times (similar to petrol) and a lighter overall vehicle weight when compared to a car needing a large battery pack.
Both are critical factors for a runaround of any kind, super or otherwise. The F61H, though, is positioned as an ultra-exclusive, top-tier sports car.
Fast Auto is currently accepting orders, with the first production models scheduled for the coming months. However, the company’s vision extends beyond this niche model, with more accessible vehicles planned for the future.
Okuyama is bullish about the future of hydrogen, despite admitting it still has a way to go before it becomes a mainstream option. “It might take five to 10 years, we don’t know, but the journey has started,” he said.
Fast Auto has not officially released a starting price for the F61H yet, but, being classified as a supercar, buyers can probably expect to pay the kind of sums manufacturers producing similarly monikered vehicles are charging, which puts it in the seven-figure US dollar bracket.
