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 (951 hp / 710 kW) and 1,248 Nm (920 lb-ft) of torque, just edging out the LaFerrari (963PS/950hp). Puritalia says the electric power will be managed through “auto-learning of driving style and cloud-based AI (Artificial Intelligence)”. Also, the ‘Puritalia eMozione’ will raise the electric motor’s torque by 370 Nm (273 lb-ft) 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.
“We like to think that we don’t sell our cars”, said Puritalia CEO and Founder, Paolo Parente. “We entrust them to owners who can take care of them and enjoy them, because they understand and appreciate the exacting technical details and the care we put into building them.”