Developer Readies Titanium Supercar

Icona Design & Engineering Co. will take the wraps of the second iteration of its Vulcano supercar concept next week at the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance show in California.

Billed as the world's first titanium car, the new 3,500-lb Vulcano Titanium features a body made from a mix of titanium and carbon fiber. Icona, which was founded in Italy but now is based in China, contracted Italian coachbuilder Cecomp to produce the vehicle.

The base design is largely unchanged from the original Vulcano, which was introduced at the 2013 Shanghai auto show. It features a long, angular hood and side air vents behind each wheel. Styling was led by Icona Design Director Samuel Chuffart, who previously worked for Bertone, Jaguar Land Rover and Nissan.

Power comes from a Chevrolet-sourced Corvette ZR1 supercharged V-8 engine tuned to produce 670 hp and 620 lb-ft of torque. Teamed with a paddle-shift close ratio gearbox from Automac Modena, the mid-front engine can propel the vehicle from zero to 60 mph in 2.8 seconds and to a top speed of 220 mph, according to Icona. The company says it also is working on a 1,000-hp variant.

Icona hired Claudio Lombardi, a Formula One engineer who ran the Ferrari team during the 1990s, and former Lancia Racing team chief Mario Cavagnero to oversee the Vulcano's powertrain.

Production plans and other details are expected to be announced next week.