Saraçen Motors
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Automobile manufacturing Automobile distribution |
| Founded | December 22, 1956 |
| Founder | Jehan-Hermès de Saraçe |
| Headquarters | Jamsu, Metzetta |
Area served | Worldwide |
Key people |
|
| Products | Luxury vehicles |
Number of employees | 397 (2020) |
| Website | saracenmotors.com |
Moteurs Saraçen (Caenish: [saʁasẽ]), internationally known as Saraçen Motors, was a Caenish high-performance luxury automobile manufacturer with its head office and assembly plant originally located in the city of Cana, Canaery, now located in Jamsu, Metzetta. Founded by famed Caenish racer and team owner Jehan-Hermès de Saraçe in 1961, the company is widely known for its high performance and high-cost products, most of which have exceedingly small production runs. In 2020 the company was bought out entirely by Metzettan auto company Sung-Gohan, becoming a marque manufactured in Metzetta.
Saraçen Motors sells direct from its factory, with most models being unveiled at major car shows only to be pre-sold-out prior to the production run of a given model even being completed. The benefits of this system are a great degree of customization available to the customer for their respective model.
History
Born in 1925 in Canaery to a veteran of the Red Interregnum, Jehan de Saraçe grew up in relatively lean times during the Second Great War. As a teenager, he moved to Cana and found work as a courier for Ministry of State, ferrying messages and occasionally VIPs between Urceopolis and Electorsbourg. At 18 years of age, he gained the nickname "Hermès" on account both of his work and his reputation for racing even in his off time. As the war wound down to completion in 1953, de Saraçe became increasingly involved in professional racing.
Despite his passion for racing and great pace, he was rated relatively poorly by other Caenish racing teams due to his recklessness. Unable to find a seat for the 1952 Caenish open-wheel season, de Saraçe started his own team with funding from several friends, family, and some bank loans. He achieved some degree of success locally but by 1955 his financial situation had become increasingly dire. In order to supplement prize money and repay his loans, de Saraçe began employing his own technical know-how and that of his engineers to design and sell their own sports cars. The next year, Moteurs Saraçens was founded. By 1961, de Saraçe was debt-free, with most of the automobile manufacturer's profits being reinvested in the racing team. Jehan-Hermès de Saraçe retired from racing personally in 1967 after 8 seasons in Grand Prix Racing at the international level. He used the proceeds of Saraçen to establish Hermès Auto in 1970 as a more expansive consumer-oriented version of the Saraçen brand but had little personal involvement in design or management for it. He suddenly passed away in 1972 at the age of 47 leaving the family business to his children who formed the JHDS Group, named with their father's acronym. Hermès soon outearned Saraçen and became the primary focus of the JHDS group, with Saraçen falling into relative neglect following 1985 before a major "return to form" in 2000 once it was spun off into a autonomous subsidiary. Despite its vehicles making regular appearances at the International Racing Federation and being well regarded among automobile aficionados and car show enthusiasts, the company was no longer profitable by 2008 and continued on as a prestige brand. JHDS later sold the original Saraçen company to Sung-Gohan (internationally known as Imperial Automobiles) in 2020 due to lack of profitability while retaining ownership of Hermès.
The initial concept behind the limited production runs of each of Saraçen Motors's models was born out of the circumstances of the company: firstly that the team garage and shop had very limited facilities to produce cars given the decline of industry in Canaery and secondly that de Saraçe was nearly obsessed with the desire to be at the cutting edge of technology both for his racing team and his production cars. This ethos has been carried through the company's history and many of the cars produced by Saraçen have held and currently hold land speed records for production vehicles.
Production at the Granate facility was highly vertically integrated. 100% of the materials and parts for the construction of the vehicles were sourced locally in Canaery and also in the province of New Audonia. All carbon fibre components were synthesized and formed onsite, including diffusers and other bodywork but also proprietary brake discs which are extremely light as well as durable. Saraçen Motors also produces special tires to cope with the vehicles' top speeds. Metal components are machined and shaped onsite as well and the vehicles are hand-assembled by the crew of artisan workers. At present, Saraçen Motors has moved production to Jamsu, Metzetta, but aims to preserve its manufacturing techniques as well as possible. The closure of the Granate factory was highly unpopular, and while all employees were offered jobs in the new location, few were willing to move across the world for their career.
Former production cars
Saraçen 1000
Saraçen's first model.
Saraçen Aventurier
The Aventurier model (Çyrois for "adventurer") was a mid-engine two-seater luxury sports car which succeeded the Conquérant model in 2016. First unveiled on 1 March 2015, the vehicle was immediately made available for preorder at a base price of $2,700,000 before customization with a requisite $250,000 down payment. Within three months, the 2026 production run of 50 vehicles was sold out. The popularity of the vehicle with owners, enthusiasts, and reviewers saw the production runs in later years rise to 75 units while the pricetag remained generally the same.
The vehicle is driven by an 8 L quad-turbo W16 engine with a maximum power output of 1,103 kW (1,479 hp) at 6,700 rpm and 1,600 N⋅m (1,180 lb⋅ft) of torque starting from 2,000 to 6,000 rpm. The Aventurier is the fourth production car by Saraçen to have a carbon fibre body structure for maximal lightness without compromising the integrity. The car also features independent suspension on all wheels and is also all-wheel drive. The vehicle is delivered to customers with a curb weight of 1,996 kg (4,400 lb) and is 1,212 mm (47.7 in) tall, 2,038 mm (80.2 in) wide, and 4,544 mm (178.9 in) long.
In terms of performance, the Aventurier can accelerate from 0-100 km/h (0-62 mph) in 2.47 seconds, 0–200 km/h (0–124 mph) in 6.5 seconds, 0–300 km/h (0–186 mph) in 13.6 seconds, and 400 km/h (249 mph) in 32.6 seconds. The car requires 9.4 seconds to brake to a standstill from 400 km/h. The top speed for the vehicle is limited to 420 km/h in order to preserve the tires sold with the vehicle, though each vehicle also has a proprietary key which owners may request to remove the hard limit. Unlocked, the car's top speed is 465 km/h (289 mph). Initially, Saraçen Motors had advertised the key as an add-on priced at $250,000 but fell afoul of several right-to-repair and right-to-maintain complaints in 2027 after which the key became available on request to all purchasers.
Options for customization of the Aventurier are extensive. Customers are able to select body and trim colour as basic options, but further detailing is also available. In the interior base models offer few amenities, though customers may have the colours and materials of the seats changed, their dashboard digitized in different configurable layouts, different stereo setups and orientations, and options for additional cup holders. A "low-weight/stiff suspension" variant is also available for $500,000 more with no distinction as a separate model. The variant reduces the weight of the vehicle by an even 20 kg (44 lb).
To date, 475 units have been produced with the concluding run of 25 units in 2020 bringing the total number of cars produced and sold to 500.
Saraçen Esclair
Another lovely vehicle.
Current Production Cars
Saraçen Heolikein
The Heolikein (Metzi for Hurricane) model is yet another lovely vehicle.