Pininfarina, the Italian design house responsible for such classics as the Ferrari 250 GT, the Alfa Romeo Giulietta Spider, and the Cadillac Allanté, has released photos of its new “elegant and refined sports sedan” concept, the Cambiano, ahead of the 2012 Geneva auto show. The concept is named after the town where the firm is based, and where it opened its Styling Center 30 years ago. (Whether the indebted company will exist to celebrate further anniversaries, at least under family ownership, remains uncertain.)
Lancia Florida II
Press information isn’t available yet, but a report from Automotive News (subscription required) pegs the car as a plug-in extended-range hybrid that incorporates four 80-hp in-wheel electric motors and a diesel turbine (!) engine. The turbine is the range-extender, recharging the batteries when they are depleted; it also will feed power directly to the electric motors if there’s no juice on tap. Thus equipped, the Cambiano supposedly can reach 62 mph in 4.2 seconds and a top speed of 155 mph; short bursts up to 171 mph are also claimed to be possible. The car is said to have a total range of close to 500 miles, including almost 130 miles in pure electric mode. Actual performance and range likely are limited to just enough to get it on the show stand under its own power.
Pininfarina refers to the concept as a sports sedan, despite it not featuring four doors: There is one large door on the driver’s side and two smaller doors on the passenger side, the rear one opening suicide-style. The interior is as cleanly designed as the exterior, and features a wood floor and stitching-free upholstery. In the Automotive News report, Pininfarina says the Cambiano is inspired by the 1957 Lancia Florida II (pictured above). Stay tuned for more details and photos live from Geneva.
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