The Volkswagen Group Night at the Geneva Motor Show
was underwhelming – to say the least, but the clear star was of the event was
the stunning Zerouno Duerta from Italdesign. The company is staying
tight-lipped about specifics but the Zerouno Duerta is an open air version of
the Zerouno coupe which debuted last year. The two models are largely identical
but the roadster has a unique back half which loosely echoes the Lamborghini
Veneno Roadster.
Removing the roof resulted in several major changes
and the most noticeable difference is the buttresses that run from the
passenger compartment all the way to the rear of the car. Between them sits a
small window which gives us a peek at the Audi-sourced engine.
Full details won’t be released until tomorrow’s
press conference but, the since the Zerouno Duerta is based on the Zerouno
coupe, we already have a pretty good idea about what to expect.
The most notable feature is the bespoke carbon fiber
bodywork which is laid on top of a lightweight carbon fiber and aluminum
chassis. The car’s 20-inch aluminum wheels also appear to carryover and so does
the carbon-ceramic braking system.
Getting back to the engine, it is likely a naturally
aspirated 5.2-liter V10 that produces 610 PS and 560 Nm of
torque. The ten-cylinder lump from Audi should be paired to seven-speed
dual-clutch transmission and an all-wheel drive system like on the Audi R8.
This setup enabled the coupe to accelerate from 0-100 km/h in 3.2 seconds
and hit a top speed of 330 km/h so we can expect the Duerta to post
similar numbers.
Production will be extremely limited and reports
have suggested the model will cost around cost € 1.9 (US$ 2.3) million.
