Puritalia Berlinetta
Low-volume manufacturers from Italy have been known since the invention of the automobile. Previously, they exhibited their vehicles especially at the Turin Auto Show. Since this fair no longer exists, their premieres now happen for quite some time a few kilometers north at the Geneva International Motor Show, which traditionally provides a good platform for small, unknown brands. Also in 2019, there were again some exhibitors who appeared for the first time – and may not reappear so quickly in some cases. Hopefully the future will be relatively good for the Puritalia Berlinetta from Naples. After all, the vehicle shown is already well developed and presented itself in quite appealing quality. In addition, it is not Puritalia’s first project, but follows up the 2015 Puritalia 427 Roadster.
It is a sports car with a classic front engine layout. However, the young brand is consistently exploiting the current trend towards hybrid vehicles and is combining the five-liter supercharged V8 engine installed behind the front axle with an electric motor on the rear axle. This results in a system output of 965 hp and a maximum torque of 1,248 newtonmeters. The supercharger is 2.9 liters in size, has a liquid intercooler and provides 750 hp and 878 newtonmeters alone from the combustion engine. On request, customers can CNC mill their engine blocks from a solid block of aluminium and have their name engraved. A seven-speed automatic transmission with shift paddles at the steering wheel transmits the power to the rear wheels. It is mounted in transaxle style at the rear axle and connected to the engine via a carbon shaft. Below the trunk is the 52 kWh lithium-iron-phosphate battery (LiFePO). A weight distribution of exactly 50:50 should result in the best possible driving performance. The additional electrical components weigh only about 90 kilograms, which is significantly lighter than the systems in most comparable hybrid sport coupés.
Fabio Ferrante is responsible for the design of the body made entirely of carbon. The long front end is followed by a compact passenger cabin for up to two occupants, which follows the classic coupé design with a hatchback, flat windshield and long-sloping roofline. Puritalia uses special paints, which are applied by hand in up to five layers, followed by a further up to five layers of clearcoat. Then each car is polished to highest possible gloss. Ten of the 150 planned Berlinetta will also be offered in bare carbon.
Depending on the customer’s wishes, the interior of the Berlinetta is a mix of matt and glossy carbon, CNC-milled aluminium, leather and Alcantara. The center console has a ten-inch touchscreen display, which can also be operated via two joysticks below, providing access to all the vehicle’s entertainment, navigation and comfort features. Behind the steering wheel sits another, 12.3-inch display for showing all relevant vehicle data. Driver and passenger take a seat on comfortable, electrically adjustable sports seats from Sabelt.
The base price of the Puritalia Berlinetta is 465,000 € plus local taxes. It is limited to 150 cars worldwide. Interested parties have to contact the manufactory in Naples to order a car, as the Italians don’t plan to set up a dealer network.
Images: Puritalia Automobili, Matthias Kierse
