With electric supercar, rapper Wyclef Jean aspires to be in vanguard of auto revolution

Wyclef Jean, member of the hip hop group The Fugees, is a collector of high speed, exotic cars. Not content with collecting and driving them, he’s now investing in making a supercar. An incredibly light one.

The 53-year-old native of Haiti recently revealed his entrance into the automotive manufacturing market with the Attucks Apex AP0. Producing 650 horsepower, it is being promoted as the lightest electric vehicle EV supercar, and is said to be capable of accelerating from 0-60 mph (100 kilometres per hour) in 2.3 seconds.

In an interview with Wheels.ca, Jean said he has been involved in buying exotic cars, and, as he now has a collection of almost 40, the decision to get involved in making one is a natural one.

“I have been investing in blue-chip automotive assets since I bought the first ever McLaren F1 three-seater in the mid-1990s,” the rap star said. “It is only natural that I invest in my own brand of supercar with the electric age that is now upon us.

“I’ve owned very important cars, like the Pagani Zonda C12 (and) McLaren F1 … Lamborghinis and Ferraris, as well, but, for me, owning one of my own creations is by far the most important collector piece in my collection.”

Jean said his supercar will be different from others, because it is an extremely lightweight EV. Guy Colborne, formerly with McLaren, designed it in the U.K.

“Most EV cars in supercars are very heavy, due to batteries,” said Jean. “In the Apex AP0, the batteries are more or less half the normal battery weight, which makes it very agile and very manoeuverable, (creating) a very interactive driving experience.”

He said the decision to build a supercar powered by an electric battery, not gasoline, is part of progressive car manufacturing.

“We are looking at a very important time in history, (where) the transition from internal combustion engines to EV is imminent,” said Jean.

“With Tesla already far ahead, we’ve decided to make an EV company, as we believe that our kids and our grandkids would only understand EV technology.”

He named the car in honour of Crispus Attucks, the first person to die in The American Revolution fighting for independence from the British sovereignty. Attucks was of African and Native American descent.

“This resonates with the struggle for freedom from the traditional car manufacturers and conglomerate corporate business,” said Jean.

The supercar will come with a price tag of $350,000 U.S.

“Only 125 cars will be tested for the North American market, with 99 to be sold to the public,” Jean said. “The rest of the other cars are already spoken for by other peers of mine and also car collectors that have shown interest in purchasing the collectors’ series. Customers can, at this moment, put their name down to be considered as a potential buyer, with a very small deposit, after which they will be notified when production starts in early 2024.

“The first cars are due to roll out by early 2025.”

To buy the supercar, customers should have the passion for such a car as his, Jean said.

“It is very important for us to understand our customers, as the cars will be built within the next 12 months, so understanding the clients’ needs is very, very important.”

The company HQ will be in Little Haiti, Miami, in a renovated building.

“We should have it opened by the summer so people can come in and see the car in person,” Jean said.