Abdeslam Laraki made his name as the developer of Africa’s first supercar, the Laraki Frugra, and later went on to develop the Sahara hypercar. Now, the Moroccans are working on something even more eye-catching: a lightweight electric sports car based on a famous Grand Prix-winning car from the 1920s.
Laraki’s Grace (named after Princess Grace of Monaco) has an origin story as unique as its retro lines. Laraki said he was commissioned by Prince Albert II of Monaco to create a one-off car for the 2020 Ocean Gala Charity Auction to be held in the Principality of Monaco. Inspired by the Bugatti Type 35B that won the first Monaco Grand Prix in 1929, he created a Back to the Future EV homage for the event.
Grace was an instant hit, Laraki said. Inquiries from potential buyers continued, and he raised the funds to turn it from an amazing prototype into a commercial product.
Just 250 cars are expected to leave the Casablanca, Morocco factory in early 2026. If you want a more bespoke version, you can buy one for $250,000 or more.
Grace’s top speed is just 120 kilometers (75 miles) per hour, but Laraki is also working on an electric AEON-1 capable of 354 kilometers (220 miles) per hour.
In the era of heavy-duty EVs, efforts are being made to make vehicles as light as possible. Think carbon fiber monocoque (body and chassis joined as a single shell), aluminum frame, and driver-focused interior. There is also the prosperity of Laraki. This EV is equipped with a 7-speed sequential gearbox. “We want to create a modern EV that offers a classic driving experience to its owners,” he said. The plan is to produce 500 AEON-1s at a cost of $200,000 each.
For Laraki, the new EV is the latest chapter in a milestone career in African car manufacturing.
Growing up in Casablanca in the 1980s, when other 11-year-olds were playing soccer and video games, Laraki was designing and building his first sports car. Well, first of all, sports go-karts. This young car enthusiast stumbled upon an article about the now-iconic Lamborghini Countach, and the following year, working with a family friend, he designed and built a go-kart version of the Countach using spare parts from car showrooms.
“When I see a design that inspires me, I immediately think, ‘How can I improve the design? How can I make it better?'” Laraki said in a video call from his office in California.
A youthful zeal for perfection in industrial design led Laraki to study first at the Ecole Espace Sbarro in Switzerland, then at the Art Center College of Design, and then at the Stratte Ecole de Design in France.
In his early career, he won awards for his yacht designs (the prestigious Italian yacht designer Mangusta Award), but by 2001 Laraki decided to return to his childhood passion, and his childhood home, to design and build limited edition sports cars. Laraki Automobiles was born.
Early designs were aimed at arousing press interest and commercial orders. Laraki was also keenly aware of the need to challenge possible global stereotypes about low-volume supercars designed and built in Africa.
“Some people always wonder where a supercar comes from. It has to be a Ferrari or a Lamborghini, but I wanted to put Morocco on the map for car design,” he said.
Laraki Automobiles debuted Africa’s first supercar, the streamlined Frugra (modeled after the Lamborghini Diablo’s chassis and engine), at the 2002 Geneva Motor Show. The orders came from buyers who didn’t care where the car came from and just liked the look of the car. But that wasn’t enough for Laraki. Laraki created an original lightweight aluminum chassis and suspension system, as well as a custom Mercedes-AMG V12 620 horsepower engine, for the production version of the Frugra. Twelve Frugra units were manufactured and sold.
Laraki’s new model, Borac, was unveiled at the 2005 Geneva Motor Show, but the financial crisis of 2008 halted further development of the prototype.
Laraki Automobiles returned with an explosive 1,750 horsepower at the 2013 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance. A typical example of this was Laraki’s and Africa’s first hypercar. The Epitome concept car, a liquid blend of powerful retro-futuristic elegance, captured the attention of people around the world. By 2019, that microcosm had evolved into the Sahara desert. Legend has it that Moroccan King Mohammed VI purchased the only two remaining Sahara deserts for the royal sum of $2 million each.
“We need to set the record straight on this,” Laraki said. “I don’t know where that story came from, but the press got it and now it’s all over the internet. I received the Order of Mohammed (Morocco’s highest national decoration) from His Majesty, but the King did not buy the Sahara Desert.”
I’m glad you were able to resolve that. And in case anyone reading this wants to witness the Sahara Desert in person, one of only three production models in existence is currently housed at the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles.
A boy with big dreams has come a long way. “My ultimate goal is to take Laraki to the next level: to become Africa’s first luxury automotive OEM (original equipment manufacturer).”
