Supercar Modelled After WipEout Racer Returns Home To Liverpool

Update [Fri 30th Sep, 2022]: Since this piece was originally published, we've added comments from Ami Nakajima, a former community manager, brand manager, and PR person for Studio Liverpool. We've also embedded more tweets from the day.

Over the weekend, a WipEout-inspired supercar took to the streets of Liverpool, the birthplace of the famous antigrav racer.

It was there, in 1994, Psygnosis began production on what would eventually become the first in a long line of racing games about a futuristic racing league that would take gaming by storm. And where Studio Liverpool (the successor to Psygnosis) released its final Wipeout game, Wipeout 2048, in 2012, before the studio was eventually shuttered.

It seems the city never forgot the impact it left, however, with a bunch of people turning up to the city's waterfront to marvel at the one-of-a-kind Briggs Automotive Company supercar featuring the recognizable colors of team FEISAR. Developers included!

The vehicle was revealed two years ago in 2020 (as previously covered by Push Square) as a collaboration between WipEout creator Nick Burcombe, WipEout graphic designer Eddie Wainwright, and the Liverpool-based BAC carmaker, in order to pay tribute to the beloved series that was born in the North West. The car itself is a Mono-R and was only one of 30 to be produced. It starts at £190,950 and can apparently do 0-60mph in 2.5 seconds and hit speeds of up to 170mph.

Ami Nakajima, a former community manager, brand manager, and PR for Studio Liverpool, tells Time Extension, "It was the first time I'd attended anything WipEout-related with the public or fans since around 2013. Lots of WipEout developers were in attendance throughout the day (Nick Burcombe, Karl Jones, Claire Rogers, Martin Harrow) alongside BAC, WipEout fans, and the public, milling and chatting about how incredible yet surreal it all was.

"The owner allowed people to actually sit in the car, a car that we mustn't forget begins at over £190,000 to buy [...]. It's such an amazingly generous thing to do. It was really emotional to watch everyone's astonishment and joy when meeting each other and the car, making friends. It was so good to see little kids' faces light up in sheer amazement, these little potential WipEout Pilots or racing drivers of the future. The car brought joy and conversation. It had people stop in their tracks and many went on to learn about what it meant to Liverpool and share their own stories about it - all of this in real life for what might just be the first and last time."

Sadly, for now, the wheels were firmly planted to the ground, but we think we can give them a break, at least for another thirteen years! That's when the NX1000 is set to have its first successful flight in the Nevada desert, according to the game's lore.

What's your favorite WipEout game? Let us know in the comments!