Bragging rights come no bigger than owning the fastest car in the world.
And it’s a boast just one Australian enjoys.
Billionaire businessman, auto group magnate and Sydney Roosters chairman Nick Politis signed paperwork at the Beijing auto show to secure the sole YangWang U9 Xtreme bound for our shores.
This 2200kW fully electric hypercar eclipsed the Bugatti Chiron as having the highest top speed ever recorded by a production car, measuring a tyre-ripping 496.22km/h at a German test track last year.
MORE: BYD U9 sets new speed record
A U9 Xtreme also lapped the Nurburgring in 6m59s, claiming title of fastest electric super sports car and first of its type to dip under seven minutes at the Green Hell.
It’s unknown how much Politis paid for the YangWang – a Chinese brand under the giant BYD umbrella – but a BYD Australia spokesman said it would be “north of $1 million”.
Not money you or I could find down the couch, but with Politis’ net worth estimated at around $2.5 billion, it’ll barely make a dent.
MORE: BYD Yangwang U9 spotted in Australia
Besides, the U9 Xtreme looks a veritable bargain next to a $5 million Bugatti Chiron, and being the sole example bound for Australia, its collectability status is assured.
Just 30 examples of the YangWang U9 Xtreme will be produced, with only one bound for each of 30 different markets. The sort of exclusivity billionaires live for.
This made-in-China EV’s numbers are simply ludicrous. Its four electric motors are each capable of 30,000rpm and combine to deliver over 2200kW: about four times that of a Porsche 911 Turbo.
MORE: BYD to build its own charging network in Australia
It uses an 80kWh BYD battery with claimed range of around 400km. But not if you plan on nudging 500km/h.
It also has a party trick. Its active suspension system allows the hypercar to perform a brief vertical jump.
All well and good, but elephant in the room is the name. Ferrari, Aston Martin and Bugatti win hands down over YangWang as a brand name.
Naturally, Politis was able to choose bespoke preferences ahead of the hypercar being built to order.
“The team from China came down (to Australia) to go through colours, trims, stitching and upholstery,” he said.
MORE: BYD to flood Australia with cars to combat fuel crisis
“I selected red and black because that’s the colours of the car that set the world record.”
The BYD team believe the finished article will be on Politis’ driveway in Australia in mid-2027.
Obvious question is what does the new owner plan to do with a track-honed hypercar that travels at warp speed?
“It’s a great marketing thing,” he said. “We’ll move it around all our major BYD showrooms, and I’m sure there’ll be people lining up to see it. To see the fastest car in the world will attract a lot of people and expose them to our BYD products.”
Politis’ Eagers Automotive, the nation’s biggest car dealership group, is key retailer for BYD cars in Australia.
Hundreds flooded the YangWang show stand in Beijing to catch a glimpse of the Australian buyer, and may have been surprised to see an immaculately dressed 81-year-old sign the owner documents.
After all, the U9 Xtreme is impossibly low, features tricky Lamborghini-like butterfly doors, and its two carbon-backed racing bucket seats aren’t the last word in comfort.
I asked Politis if he’d tried getting in one, and he admitted he hadn’t due to the giant door sill.
Another hurdle is the YangWang being built only in left-hand drive, so full registration in Australia won’t be possible.
Regardless, he hopes his team will find a way the U9 can be driven around the city as the ultimate jaw-dropper.
How about the race track, I asked? “No, no,” he responded with a smile. “I’m not a racing car type of driver mate. We’re going to look after it because it’s unique.”
