Supercars

$3.4M one-off hypercar commissioned by Emirati tycoon never got to prove it could beat the Porsche

  • This one-off Mercedes was designed for an Emirati oil tycoon in the 1990s
  • It was supposed to be the fastest car in the world at the time
  • Unfortunately, the record was never verified

Published on Apr 10, 2025 at 9:52 PM (UTC+4)
by Alessandro Renesis

Last updated on Apr 11, 2025 at 2:19 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by Tom Wood

This is the Mercedes-Benz Lotec C1000, a one-off hypercar designed for an Emirati tycoon that was supposed to beat McLaren and Porsche.

Unfortunately it never happened, but the car still exist.

There’s only one in the world, and it’s been auctioned off a few times.

At the time of writing, the car is estimated to be worth around $3.4 million.

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A one-off hypercar that never saw the light of day

The Lotec C1000 was designed in 1995 as a one-off built from scratch for an Emirati oil tycoon, whose identity was never revealed.

The Lotec C1000 isn’t really based on anything, but it uses familiar Mercedes components and parts.

The engine is a twin-turbo V8, which was capable of producing over 1,000 horsepower.

In theory, the Lotec C1000 could accelerate from 0 to 60mph in 3.2 seconds and it could reach a theoretical top speed of 431km/h (268mph).

Mercedes-Benz Lotec C1000 hypercar emirati
DuPonte Registry

This would’ve made the Mercedes-Benz C1000 faster than any car at the time, including the McLaren F1 and the Porsche GT1, and theoretically faster than most hypercars today as well.

Unfortunately, this was and will remain a ‘theoretical’ hypothesis because the car was never tested.

When automakers accommodate one-off requests

Automakers are generally happy to accommodate one-off requests if they come from VIP customers.

One of the most interesting examples of this is the one-off Aston Martin Cygnet powered by a V8.

The Cygnet was a production Aston powered by a Toyota four-cylinder engine, but an Aston customer specifically asked for a V8 one, and Aston was happy to oblige.

Mercedes-Benz Lotec C1000 hypercar emirati
Lamboshane/Wikipedia Commons

Another one-off worth mentioning is the Ferrari Omologata, based on the Ferrari 812 Superfast.

Unveiled in 2020, the Omologata was designed for, and this is a quote, a ‘discerning European client’, and it took the Italian automaker two years to make.

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Experienced content creator with a strong focus on cars and watches. Alessandro penned the first-ever post on the Supercar Blondie website and covers cars, watches, yachts, real estate and crypto. Former DriveTribe writer, fixed gear bike owner, obsessed with ducks for some reason.