Pininfarina has revealed one of the most stylish new models at the Geneva Motor Show with its tribute to former chairman, design legend Sergio, who died last year.
The two-seat barchetta, called simply Sergio, is based on Ferrari 458 mechanicals and wears the badges of the supercar brand.
Pininfarina has, of course, worked extensively with and for Ferrari over the years penning a number of iconic models, including the Dino Berlinetta Speciale of 1965, which sat beside it on the stand.
The Sergio is extremely compact and does not have a windscreen, with an air deflector in front of the cabin protecting occupants from excessive wind. The carbon-fibre body ensures a low weight of only 1,280kg.
The doors rotate 45 degrees to provide access and occupants would have to wear crash helmets on account of the lack of windscreen. These are stored in a small recess by the doors, and are coloured to match the crimson red body. 21-inch alloy wheels, headlamps in the bumpers and LED tail-lights all add to the drama.
Inside, the dash, seat structure, centre console and steering wheel are all borrowed from the 458 Spider, while the rear view mirror is given an aerodynamic shape and the rollbar behind the seats improves downforce, too.
Performance promises to be strong, with the Spider’s 4.5-litre V8 and sequential gearbox dispatching 0-62mph in less than the 3.4 seconds of the Ferrari.
The model could go into limited production.
