Pininfarina Fittipaldi Supercar Unveiled

Italian design house Pininfarina SpA and the newly formed Fittipaldi Motors company took the wraps off their jointly developed Fittipaldi EF7 Vision Gran Turismo on Tuesday at the Geneva auto show.

The supercar was conceived by legendary race car driver Emerson Fittipaldi and designed by Pininfarina. German race car and fabrication specialist HWA AG engineered the EF7 and will build the limited-production model at its Afalterbach factory.

Built around a two-piece carbon fiber tub, the EF7 is expected to weigh less than 1,000 kg (2,200 lbs) and has an “exceptionally low” center of gravity, according to the companies. The aggressive design was modeled to resemble the profile of a shark.

Power comes from a mid-mounted, 4.8-liter V-8 engine that generates 600 hp and redlines at 9,000 rpm. The naturally aspirated 90° engine is mated with a paddle shifted 6-speed Hewland gearbox. Zero to 60 mph acceleration is estimated to be well under three seconds.

To keep weight down, the engine and transmission will be bolted directly to the chassis and engineered as structural members to support suspension loads. The front and rear suspension are wishbone setups with inboard mounted coil-over shocks. The car’s traction control and antilock brake systems are designed to make the EF7 “very driveable,” according to the partners.

Every EF7 owner will have access to personal lessons by Fittipaldi, a two-time Formula One driver’s champion, two-time Indianapolis 500 winner and one-time CART series winner.

The initial production run will be limited to just 25 vehicles, which will be marketed through Sony Corp.’s Polyphony Digital division. Pricing hasn’t been announced. The EF7 design also will be used in Sony’s popular Gran Turismo PlayStation video game.