Laraki

Laraki Automobiles SA is a Moroccan manufacturer of high-performance sports cars. Since its inception in 1999, the company has introduced three models so far: 2002 Laraki Fulgura, 2005 Laraki Borac, and the 2013 Laraki Epitome.

Laraki was established in 1999 by Abdesslam Laraki, a Moroccan designer and entrepreneur who first became wealthy by importing cars in Morocco beginning in 1973. His son and the current owner of the firm is Abdeslam Laraki, a Moroccan designer who started out creating luxurious yachts and created the eponym company Laraki. Then following the steps of his father, he studied automobile design in Switzerland and soon after launched his first model, the Laraki Fulgura, in 2002.

In 2012, the conceptual artist Eric Van Hove arrived in Marrakech to resume work on an ambitious sculptural endeavor he had prepared for years: V12 Laraki. In the space of nine months, he gathered around him 42 master craftsmen from the region and began rebuilding a Mercedes 6.2 L V12 engine using rural materials and centuries old craft techniques from the North African country. Conceptually, this sculpture is based on the story of the Laraki Fulgura, which was entirely manufactured in Morocco to the exception of its engine. The artist decided to try and reproduce that cutting-edge component locally using craft That sculpture was displayed at the 5th Marrakech Biennale and soon acquired by the Hood Museum of Art.