Yahoo Autos Pininfarina's Latest Concept Has 600 Horses, Is Named After Emerson Fittipaldi
Racer Emerson Fittipaldi has accomplished much in his life. In 1972, at age 25, he won five of 12 races with Lotus to become the youngest world champion in Formula 1 history. He won a second championship, with McLaren in 1974, and went on to win the 1989 CART championship and two Indianapolis 500s, in 1989 and 1993. But that was all using other people's hardware. With the help of Italian design firm Pininfarina and German engineering company HWA, Emmo is about to get a track car that's more video game than race car.
On March 7, at the Geneva auto show, Fittipaldi Motors will unveil the Fittipaldi EF7 Vision Gran Turismo track car, and these two photos are the first teasers of what the concept will look like. Details are few thus far, but Pininfarina has indicated that it will follow a traditional race-car formula with high power, low weight, and a design with a low center of gravity.
"What was important to me in creating the EF7 is that the car not only provides pure passion and adrenaline but will also be forgiving and safe for drivers of all skill levels," Fittipaldi said in a press release. "Owner-drivers can expect reliability, lower maintenance cost, and minimal mechanic and tech teams, which means more time and elation on the track."
Pininfarina claims the car will weigh about 2200 pounds, thanks to extensive use of carbon fiber, and that its V-8 engine will make more than 600 horsepower.
Fittipaldi made headlines less than a year ago when authorities in his native Brazil seized trophies and artifacts from his career, and it was reported that he was facing bankruptcy. At the time, a representative told USA Today that he intended to seek partnerships to solve his financial problems.
Speaking of partnerships, the words Vision Gran Turismo at the end of the name indicate the car will be featured in the popular Sony PlayStation racing game Gran Turismo. Typically, these concepts are just for show, but the way Fittipaldi is talking, he wants to get some of these cars into the public's hands. The Pininfarina-designed Ferrari Sergio did it, so we'll have to wait to see if this can, too.
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