Puritalia
427 Roadster
No
prizes for guessing where Puritalia got their inspiration for their creation.
That’s right. The Puritalia 427 Roadster was indeed styled as a modern
reincarnation of the Shelby Cobra 427. Underneath the freshly-carved skin is a
5.0 litre V8 which sends 445 horsepower to the rear wheels through a six-speed
manual transmission and a limited slip differential. But if 445 horsepower just
isn’t enough, then Puritalia will bolt on a supercharger which boosts output to
605 horsepower.
The
Puritalia 427 Roadster looks to be well engineered, employing a aluminium space
frame chassis with chromoly subframes. It has fully-independent and adjustable
suspension all the way around as well as huge Brembo brakes at all four
corners. The bodywork is lightweight carbon fiber and helps the roadster tip
the scales at just 1090 kgs (2,403 lbs).
Paolo
Parente, founder of Puritalia says of the car: “We decided to design and
engineer the 427 simply because a similar car doesn’t exist. It is unique in
design, in style, and most importantly in the way we build it. As in the past,
simplicity was the idea behind the development of the true 2-seat sports car
leaving exotic and extreme solutions out of the equation. The constant research
of simplicity is the 427 refinement. The result, a powerful car using best in
class technologies and materials to enhance and elevate the drivers experience.
An exclusive item to own and designed for those (like us) who still love the
pleasure of driving their own car and not be driven by it.”
Ironically
Cobra purists probably won’t appreciate Puritalia’s take on the 427. I can see
both sides. On the one hand the Puritalia 427 is perhaps a little over-styled,
and from some angles it looks like a generic Japanese sportscar. But at the
same time it seems to be a well-made bit of kit, and the styling of the front
end in particular is a worthy homage to the original Cobra. I guess your
personal opinion will depend on how you view the classic Cobra. Faultless or
worthy of a rethink.
