The Espresso Veloce RS Black Edition, designed by South Africa-based company Super Veloce, is an industrial espresso machine that brings together supercar enthusiasts and caffeine addicts under one, customised roof. Super Veloce, led by designer Paolo Mastrogiuseppe, is known for designing automotive and aviation inspired high-end coffee machines. These pieces are handcrafted using aerospace-grade authentic materials such as surgical stainless steel, aluminium alloy, titanium and carbon fibre. The aggressive looking RS Black Edition pays tribute to the classic, air cooled, flat-six engine from the racing world – the legendary Porsche 993. Taking it a notch further, Super Veloce shares that they are producing exactly 993 exclusive units of the espresso machine to be shipped globally.

The luxurious coffee machine pumps out caffeine, a literal life fuel for us all, through its anodised bright black cylinder heads, jet black carbon fibre cam covers and anodised satin black engine block. A regular flat-six, or ‘boxer engine’, “is a flat engine with six cylinders arranged horizontally in two banks of three cylinders on each side of a central crankcase. The pistons are mounted to the crankshaft such that opposing pistons move back and forth in opposite directions at the same time, somewhat like a boxing competitor punching their gloves together before a fight, which has led to it being referred to as a boxer engine. The Espresso Veloce Flat Six is a tribute to the last of the air-cooled flat-six engines that were raced competitively during the period 1994–1998,” informs Sunel van der Linde, marketing executive, Super Veloce.

The 21.5 kg Espresso Veloce RS Black Edition with an input voltage of 110, 120V & 220, 240V is almost like an upgrade of the previous Flat-Six coffee maker, the latest addition to their family of mechanical timeless espresso machines. The brand shares that “the concept of the Super Veloce brand is all motor-inspired products, and one of the top icons in the super car industry has always been Porsche. Porsche has always been the benchmark for many automakers. Every super car maker follows their lead”.

 “The machine is made out of titanium alloy, aluminium alloy, carbon fibre and stainless steel 316ti, which is a very high grade of surgical stainless steel, and is also used in the aerospace industry. These materials are also employed in hyper cars and super cars. The reason for the black surface finish is to create a very masculine looking product, and I love the colour black,” informs Linde. The all black, ground coffee, capsule type espresso maker displays engineered elegance and muscle in its 380mm long, 420mm wide, 340mm high form. It is priced at 10,200 €.

Super Veloce assures that the espresso machine is very simple to use. It has a removable, stainless steel water tank that fills up with 1 litre of water. The tank is then to be placed into the connector housing, after which the start button is pressed. “Open the group head lever, place a coffee capsule inside, close the group head lever and press the volumetric control push buttons and it will dispense a beautiful cup of steaming coffee. The system is very similar to a 'Nespresso-type' machine but more industrialised,” mentions Super Veloce.

When asked to point out similarities between the super car and the coffee machine’s design (besides the colour scheme and materials employed), Linde elaborates that “the whole machine is basically a reverse engineered air-cooled 993 engine, but made into half scale. The obvious difference is that instead of powering a car, the engine pumps coffee.”

Tugging at the heartstrings of coffee addicts, Porsche fanatics, and design enthusiasts who have a soft spot for all things dark, artsy and functional, the Espresso Veloce RS Black Edition by Super Veloce is a conversation starter, and an uber stylish way to brew satan’s sweat. As Louisa May Alcott expresses in Little Women, “I'd rather take coffee than compliments just now.”