The Puritalia Berlinetta is a hybrid grand tourer manufactured by Italian automobile manufacturer Puritalia Automobili. Introduced at the 2019 Geneva Motor Show, it is the first car produced by the company. The car is intended to be a representation of the classic grand touring cars produced in the 1960s.

Puritalia Berlinetta
Overview
ManufacturerPuritalia Automobili
Production2020 (expected; 150 units planned)
AssemblyNaples, Campania, Italy
DesignerFabio Ferrante
Body and chassis
ClassGrand Tourer (S)
Body style2-door coupé
LayoutLongitudinal front mid-engine, all-wheel-drive
Powertrain
Engine5.0 L Ford "Coyote" supercharged DOHC V8
Electric motor1 YASA axial-flow
Power output
  • Engine
    750 PS (552 kW; 740 hp)
  • Electric motor
    215 PS (158 kW; 212 hp)
  • Combined
    965 PS (710 kW; 952 hp)
Transmission7-speed automated manual
Hybrid drivetrainPHEV
Battery5.2 kWh Lithium Iron Phosphate chemistry LiFePO
4
Electric range20 km (12.4 mi)
Plug-in charging3 hours
Dimensions
Wheelbase2,701 mm (106.3 in)
Length4,500 mm (177.2 in)
Width1,982 mm (78.0 in)[1]
Height1,281 mm (50.4 in)
Kerb weight1,410 kg (3,109 lb)

Overview edit

The Berlinetta is an evolution of the 427 Roadster, a modern interpretation of the AC Cobra, introduced in concept form in 2012.

Powertrain edit

Internal Combustion Engine (ICE)
The ICE is an American supplied unit, namely a 5.0-litre double overhead camshaft V8 engine from Ford Motor Company. The engine is accompanied by a 2.9-litre twin-screw type supercharger. The block of the engine is cast from aluminium by an American supplier and is shipped to Italy for completion and installation. The engine has a power output of 750 PS (552 kW; 740 hp) and 848 N⋅m (625 lb⋅ft) of torque. The buyers have the option to engrave their name on the block of the engine. The engine has a longitudinal front mid-mounted position in order to achieve a 50/50 weight distribution.[2]

Electric motor
The axial-flow electric motor is supplied by Britain-based YASA Limited and weighs 25 kg (55 lb). It is mounted on the rear axle of the car and has a power output of 215 PS (158 kW; 212 hp) and 370 N⋅m (273 lb⋅ft) of torque.

The combined power output of the powertrain amounts to 965 PS (710 kW; 952 hp) and 1,248 N⋅m (920 lb⋅ft) of torque.

Transmission edit

The engine is mated to a 7-speed automated manual transmission in order to handle the combined power output of the powertrain. The gearshifting is managed by two paddles mounted on the steering column.[2]

Battery edit

The car comes equipped with two 5.2 kWh Lithium Iron Phosphate batteries housed under the trunk and behind the seats. The batteries allow the car to have an electric range of 20 km (12.4 mi) and have a charging time of 3 hours via a 700-volt charger supplied with the car.

Chassis and exterior edit

 
Rear view

The chassis of the Berlinetta consists of a carbon fibre monocoque mated to an aluminium subframe at the front and rear. The body is entirely made of carbon fibre and takes 800 man hours to complete.[3]

Suspension, brakes and tyres edit

The Berlinetta is equipped with 19-inch forged alloy wheels wrapped in tyres measuring 285/30 at the front and 335/20 at the rear. The brakes are from AP Racing and have steel discs measuring 380 mm (15 in) front and aft having six-piston calipers at the front and four piston calipers at the rear. Carbon ceramic brakes are available as an option. The suspension system is milled from aluminium using a CNC machine.[4]

Interior edit

 
Interior

The interior of the car has leather upholstery and a centrally mounted 12.3-inch touchscreen instead of conventional buttons and levers. The touch screen controls most of the car's functions and a dedicated display behind the steering wheel displays vital data to the driver. The hybrid system of the car called Purhydrive is controlled by artificial intelligence via a specialised software. The car displays real time data about weather, road conditions and the traffic to the driver. The effective use of energy by the powertrain is determined by the server connected to the car via cloud networking.

The car has three driving modes namely Corsa, Sport and e Power with the latter running the car on the electric motor only. A special switch called the eMozione controls the torque produced by the electric motor and raises the torque of the motor to the maximum for 45 seconds.[2]

Performance edit

Manufacturer estimates
The Berlinetta can accelerate from 0–100 km/h (0–62 mph) in 2.7 seconds and has a top speed of 335 km/h (208 mph).

Production edit

Production of the Berlinetta will be limited to 150 units and each car will be hand-built according to the customer's desire. The cars will be sold to selected "brand ambassadors" who appreciate the car as stated by the company.[4]

References edit

  1. ^ "Puritalia Borchure" (PDF). Retrieved 17 April 2019.
  2. ^ a b c Leichsenring, Stefan; Smith, Christopher (4 March 2019). "Puritalia Berlinetta Is A Chic 965-HP Plug-In Hybrid At Geneva". Motor1. Retrieved 14 March 2019.
  3. ^ Ramsey, Johnathon (20 February 2019). "Puritalia bringing 965-hp hybrid Berlinetta to Geneva". Autoblog. Retrieved 14 March 2019.
  4. ^ a b Baumann, Uli (5 March 2019). "Sport-Coupé mit 965-Hybrid-PS" (in German). Auto motor und sport. Retrieved 14 March 2019.

External links edit