The Pininfarina design consultancy and manufacturing house has been on a slow march to the reveal of its first eponymous product under the Automobili Pininfarina banner. Finally, we get our first realistic glimpse of the electric hypercar codenamed PF0 that will be revealed at the 2019 Geneva Motor Show. We’ve been briefed on some of the specs, including a sub-2-second quantum leap from 0 to 60 miles per hour, a top speed homing in on 250 mph, and a 300-mile range or more. But during the recent Pebble Beach festivities, Autoweek joined potential customers invited to preview the coupe, and provides notable details.
The design is said to be 85- or 90-percent finalized, currently sporting a clean profile “vaguely similar to Ferrari 488, but nearly free of all scoops, splitters, vents, winglets and buttresses.” The full-width LED across the front of the car that we’ve seen in a previous teaser rendering contrasts with the complex rear end in the latest glimpse above. Out back, the wing gets split in two and features both taillights and active aero flaps on the trailing edges. We trust AW’s word on the lack of buttresses, but in a previous rendering, the split rear wing appears to form the tail of buttress-like structures that rise from the PF0’s side sills.
The magazine said “Dihedral doors like on the McLaren 720S cut deep into the roof.” They open to reveal thin sills and a cabin that is “fairly accurate” when compared with previous artwork, specifically concerning the dashboard’s shape and driver-centric layout. One of the most interesting features of the cockpit is the customization available; AW said buyers will be able to choose different color combos for the driver and passenger areas.
The four electric motors will produce 1,900 horsepower and close to 1,700 lb-ft of torque. Ex-Formula 1 and current Formula E driver Nick Heidfeld is assisting with turning all that gumption into usable driving dynamics. The entire electric powertrain has been developed with assistance from the Mahindra Racing Formula E team fielded by Mahindra & Mahindra, the Indian conglomerate that owns a controlling stake in Pininfarina. Other tech partners are contributing to the project, and we’ve been told that Rimac is lending some kind of hand.
When asked why the novice automaker chose an electric powertrain instead of a massively powerful electrically-assisted ICE as is common in the segment – and what a world we live in that hypercars are now a “segment” – CEO Michael Perschke said, “If you want a brand that’s relevant in 2050, you don’t start with a drivetrain that’s been used since 1890.”
Out of the 150 examples Pininfarina plans to hand-build in its Cambiano home base, at a price hovering around $2 million each, 50 are allotted for North America. The striptease will undoubtedly continue before the Geneva and the reveal of the coupe’s real name next year, but deliveries won’t begin until the end of 2020.
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