I have always found the following terminologies rather ambiguous, Super-car (a luxury, high-performance sports car) and hyper-car (a more advanced version of a supercar). The latter classification also means the vehicle price hikes up to a level that simply makes them unrealistic to average drives such me and you.
This segregation of buying power, and therefore the market, really doesn’t stop car manufacturers coming up with cars purely marketed at the top 2-3% of world population. So, with above statement firmly kept in mind, there was no surprise when Munich-based Automobili Pininfarina, originally revealed their “ultra-low volume, ultra-luxury electric hypercar” codenamed PF0.
The original release was met with some admiration and few raised eyebrows, which seemed to have zero impact to the crazy people in Pininfarina, as they have revealed additional details on their flagship introductory vehicle. The exclusive car is to enter production in late 2020, the 90th anniversary of the famed Italian automotive design house.
Pininfarina idea of “ultra-luxury”, is very much the cornerstone of their sales pitch. The 70 to 90 planned PF0s, which will reportedly each cost between $2 and $2.5 million, are to be the first of a series of low-volume, all-electric luxury Pininfarina vehicles, which will also include an SUV model range. All the future models will be sold and serviced through a network of high-end car retailers.
In recent press conference new Design Director Luca Borgongno, revealed the firm’s latest teaser design sketches, which left quite a lot to your imagination and instead of answering many outstanding questions, left you with even more. However he confirmed that the company has begun basic development of the electric hypercar, which they expect to attain sprint speeds of 0-62 mph (100 km/h) in less than 2s and top speed somewhere upwards of 250 mph (400 km/h), and provide 310 mi (500 km) of driving range between EV battery recharges.
“The PF0 will not be a Tesla,” Perschke asserted. “It will provide certain elite, discerning clients with unique levels of luxury and extreme performance without guilt because we are focusing not only on delivering a full-out luxury hyper-car, but also ensuring a high degree of environmental sustainability.”
Although other specs have not been officially released, reports suggest the PF0 will be powered by four electric motors, one at each wheel, producing a combined output of 2000 hp (1490 kW). And if the carbon-fiber composite chassis and vehicle come in under its 4410 lb (2000 kg) mass target, its performance should rival some of the quickest hypercars in the world—combustion-engined or not.
“Pininfarina has an unparalleled legacy of delivering cars that are both beautiful to look at and technically innovative,” Burgogno noted. “Creating this combination in the first Pininfarina road car is a dream comes true. The design of PF0 will espouse purity, beauty, and innovation.”
Irrespective how crazy the above vision sounds, Pininfarina is attracting some top talent to make the visions a reality, former Bugatti executive Marcus Korbach has been appointed as Sales Director and ex-Ferrari and ex-Maserati engineer Paolo Dellacha is to be the Product and Platform Director. Ex-Formula 1 racing driver Nick Heidfeld will join as the Development Driver for new Automobili Pininfarina team, helping to fine-tune the PF0’s vehicle dynamics.
Perschke added that “Nick will assist each buyer by setting them up with a personalised driving mode,” one of five driving modes that the new hypercar will offer.
“We have attracted some of the best automotive industry talent from all corners of the globe,” Perschke said. “Now this team is focused on delivering ground-breaking, highly desirable vehicles through a business strategy which will see Automobili Pininfarina become the most sustainable luxury automotive business in the world.
“The PF0 is borne from the 50-year-old dream of Battista ‘Pinin’ Farina to see a stand-alone Pininfarina-branded range of cars that is both beautiful and technologically advanced. And at the apex will sit a flagship car of unmatched performance and unprecedented heritage; the PF0 will deliver enormous power and driver thrills in abundance.”
