2016 Zenvo TSR Factory Validation Prototype

Quick facts

• Maker: Zenvo Automotive, Denmark, founded in 2009 by Troels Vollertsen
• Car: Zenvo TSR, the track-only version of the TS1 GT, launched at the 2016 Geneva Motor Show
• Engine: 5.8-liter flat-plane V8 with twin centrifugal superchargers
• Weight: about 250 kg less than the TS1 GT
• Road-legal successor: TSR-S, claimed 1,177 hp

Most hypercars are shown to you finished. This one is shown as it was used: a yellow Zenvo TSR, the factory’s own test car, photographed with the tape, cables, and data logger that never appear in a brochure.

Denmark’s hypercar

Zenvo is a tiny Danish manufacturer, founded in 2009 and, as Autocar once put it, effectively the whole of Denmark’s native car industry. Its small build schedule has been about five cars a year. In 2016, Zenvo launched two cars at the Geneva Motor Show: the road-biased TS1 GT, and the TSR, a track-only version that shares most of the TS1 GT’s mechanicals, including the engine and body.

What this car is for

Zenvo describes the TSR as developed primarily for track use, which made it the ideal test-bed for many of the company’s engineering innovations, from the sport gearbox and the unique clutch to the aerodynamics and the 5.8-liter V8. The car is about 250 kg lighter than the TS1 GT and has revised gearing and power delivery software. This yellow car is the factory’s test and development car, which Zenvo says has been used extensively and is much photographed.

Front view

Seen head-on, the TSR is all function. A hexagonal carbon grille feeds the radiators, a big splitter with red edges and vertical dive planes manages the airflow at the nose, and large vents in the hood let hot air escape. The body is full carbon fiber over a lightweight steel and aluminum semi-monocoque.

Inside the cockpit

The interior is stripped of anything that doesn’t help the car go faster. Bare carbon fiber covers the dash and center console. There’s an AiM display behind a suede steering wheel with the Zenvo shield, a red kill switch, a line-lock label, and toggles marked torque, mode, traction, and octane. A blue data logger sits under the dash with its cabling taped in place, and a laminated emergency-message card from the test track is stuck on the dashboard.

What it led to

The TSR’s lessons went into the TSR-S, unveiled at the 2018 Geneva Motor Show. It’s the street-legal version, with a claimed 1,177 hp from the same V8 and the company’s active Zentripetal rear wing. The company says it wants to build only a handful of TSR-S cars a year.

About these photographs

I photographed the car’s exterior and cockpit at “Supercar Sunday” 2019 at the TT Circuit “Cathedral of Speed” in Assen, the Netherlands.

Frequently asked questions

What is the Zenvo TSR? It’s the track-only version of the TS1 GT, launched in 2016, with a 5.8-liter twin-supercharged V8.

Is the Zenvo TSR street legal? No. The TSR-S, unveiled in 2018, is the street-legal version.

How many cars does Zenvo build? Very few. The company has talked about building about five TSR-S cars a year.