Pininfarina Sergio concept showcased at Geneva

By -

The Pininfarina Sergio, revealed at the Geneva motor show, is a conceptual tribute to the leader of the famed styling house, who died last year.

The mid-engined, two-seat barchetta concept car is underpinned by Ferrari 458 Spider mechanicals, overlaid with a new carbonfibre body that incorporates a mix of classic Pininfarina design cues and futuristic touches.

The most striking feature is the lack of a windscreen. Instead the Sergio cleverly deflects the airflow over the car’s bonnet to create a ‘virtual windscreen’ that channels air over the heads of the passengers and protects them from turbulence.

A wing inserted in the front bumper compensates for the aerodynamic load on the front axle that is lost by the elimination of the windscreen.

Access to the car is via half-doors that rotate upwards through 45-degrees. The lack of a windscreen makes it necessary for the Sergio’s occupants to wear crash helmets, which are stowed in a compartment near the doors.

The rearview mirror has an aerodynamic shape that also helps to divert air from the heads of the passengers, while the rollbar behind the seats is designed as a wing and also has a downforce effect.
The Sergio is fitted with 21-inch alloy one-stud wheels, LED tail-lights and headlamps incorporated into the bumpers. The interior is similar to that found in the 458 Spider, but has new dashboard top and modified seats. The engine cover, which features the round holes seen on other Pininfarina concepts, wraps around the rear part of the seats.

The Sergio’s bodyshell is stiffer than that of the 458 Spider, and contributes to an overall weight reduction of 150kg, putting the Pininfarina concept at about 1280kg. This allows good handling and a further improvement of acceleration, estimated at below 3.4sec for the 0-100kph sprint.

The barchetta’s minimalist carbonfibre body contributes to a kerb weight of 1280kg. Pininfarina has conceived the Sergio as a car that could reach limited-series production.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

All new Ambassador makeover by Hindustan Motors in 2012 .

By -
Image
Sixty years back, the word ‘car’ in India literally meant the Ambassador for most Indians. A lot has changed since then, with horde of automobile manufacturers active in the Indian market, sales figures for Hindustan Motors have hit an all time low 5,510 units in the first 10 months of the current fiscal year. Over the years, it has been the Indian political class that has been keeping Hindustan Motors rolling. The latest blow to Hindustan motors came from the Govt. of India itself, which replaced the Ambassador with cars like the  Maruti SX4  and the  Tata Indigo CS considering safety and performance issues. The next-gen Ambassador will feature structural, aerodynamic and aesthetical chages. Changes on board the 2012 Ambassador include new engine calibrations, an anti-lock brake system and aluminium alloy wheels. For comfort, there will be new leather seats coupled with wood grain interiors. For the first time, there will also be an integrated music system and redesigne...
Read more

Force One to get 4x4 in mid-2012

By -
Image
Force Motors, which launched its first SUV, Force One, last August will launch a new 4x4 version and a variant equipped with ABS by mid-2012. The new 4X4 was displayed at the Auto Expo last month. At the launch, the company had indicated its intentions to offer more features in the SUV at a later stage. These features have made it to the SUV, but the company has been tight-lipped about launch date  and price tag. The 4x4 variant will continue to be powered by the FM-Tech 2.2-litre common-rail turbo-diesel motor that develops 139bhp and 32.6kgm of torque. It will be offered with a five-speed manual gearbox as is the case with the 4x2 version. There will be no visual changes to  differentiate the 4x4 from its 4x2 sibling, except for  the badge. We expect the ABS-equipped 4x4 version to  cost at least Rs 1 lakh more than the 4x2 variant, which costs Rs 10.65 lakh (ex-showroom,  Delhi). 
Read more

Maruti 800 replacement coming soon.

By -
Image
Authentic Cars  broke the news on the upcoming Maruti 800 way back in July last year   and now we bring you more info on the car that will finally replace the venerable Maruti 800.  This new car, to be called the Alto 800 (codename: YE3), is based on the Alto, but with significant modifications done to make it cheaper. Not to be confused with the Alto sold in Japan, the new Alto 800 is based on the current generation Alto (YG4) but with a new body and interior. As seen in the pictures, the design is rather basic but there is more than a passing resemblance to the Japanese Alto, especially from the front. The nose gets high-mounted headlights, a slim, slot-like grille and there is a huge secondary air-inlet opening above and below the bumper. The styling is in line with the current-generation Suzukis, and details like the slanting window-line point to an aggressive tip-forward stance. Also, there is a prominent character-line that runs on the sides, right from the head...
Read more