It’s been a long time since we last heard about
Puritalia Automobili, but the Napoli-based company is back, and they have a new
supercar to display at the 2019 Geneva Motor Show. Referred to as the ‘Berlinetta’,
it looks like a slightly updated coupe version of the 427 Roadster. Just like
the open-top model, it uses a front-mounted V8 engine, but with a hybrid twist,
as it adds a rear electric motor.
The combined output is 965 PS and
1,248 Nm of torque, just edging out the LaFerrari (963 PS).
Puritalia says the electric power will be managed through “auto-learning of
driving style and cloud-based AI”. Also, the
‘Puritalia eMozione’ will raise the electric motor’s torque by 370 Nm on-demand.
Built on a carbon fiber/aluminum chassis, the
supercar, which spent four years in the making, has carbon fiber body panels
and a perfect 50/50 weight distribution. It also gets a titanium exhaust system
with quad tips, smart electronic modulation and active side pipes, as well as
exposed carbon fiber trim inside.
A “fully connected control system” manages “the
entire car” via the touchscreen infotainment system or using voice commands.
The company claims that these functions can be accessed remotely too, using a
smartphone.
Only 150 units of the new ‘Berlinetta’ will be
produced, at a rather slow pace as only the carbon fiber painting and finishing
is said to require 800 hours. Thus, the supercar will be aimed at connoisseurs,
and each buyer will be provided with a personal design team to assist them
during the customization and building process.
As the company puts it, “you can’t buy a Berlinetta.
It will be made-to-order, to your personal specifications”, just like it used
to be done in the ‘Golden Years of the Italian car designs’ of the 1950s and
1960s.
