The Pininfarina Rossa
A Spartan’s Ferrari
550 Barchetta to come
Pininfarina’s 70th anniversary
Pininfarina’s links to Ferrari have been immensely strong for decades. The
designer from Turin has created almost every new Ferrari road car since the
late 1950’s. Thus it is no wonder that Pininfarina chose Ferrari components to
create a special one-off to celebrate the company’s 70th anniversary. The
chassis and engine of a 550 Maranello – the s/n is not yet known,
unfortunately – were used as a basis for a unique spyder, called ”Pininfarina
Rossa”. This flamboyantly designed car had its debut at the Turin Motor Show
held between June 10 and 18, 2000.
The Pininfarina Rossa
As indicated by the name, the study is (Ferrari-)red. The idea behind the
project was to combine styling elements from the past with Pininfarina’s
current ideas on the Ferrari topic. This resulted in a Spartan open two-seater.
The dramatic flanks of the Rossa resemble very much the 1957 250 Testa
Rossa, while the front – especially the headlight treatment – shows
similarities to the gorgeous 375 MM Berlinetta Speciale ”Bergman”, s/n
0456AM. The Rossa looks extremely aggressive since she does not have a
typical ”face”: The front is dominated by two large air-intakes and the relatively
small grille, while the headlights have been reduced to thin strips in the front
wings.
A Spartan’s Ferrari
The interior is very Spartan, concentrated to two grey sports seats in leather
with four-point-harnesses and some spacy aluminium applications. There is
no real dashboard – all instruments are placed right in front of the driver (or
better: pilot). Since there are almost no gadgets to command, the number of
switches and buttons was reduced to the max. But some high-tech elements
are to be found in the Rossa: For example, the job of the outside mirrors has
been handed over to cameras directed backwards! Not a really new idea, but
always fun to see. There is even a camera filming the Rossa’s happy driver to
produce a lasting memory of the car’s exciting outings – this IS probably a
new idea! The headrests are integrated very well into the car’s bodywork –
without them, one would have the feeling of something missing.
The Rossa’s tail has a very ”smooth” design; the rear-lights are teardrop like,
and a large air-outlet is flanked by the two pairs of exhaust pipes. There is,
however, no real space for a registration plate... The fuel filler cap is positioned
right in the upper centre section of the tail.
550 Barchetta to come
The Pininfarina Rossa will definitely remain a one-off styling study, but it did
generate much interest both by the media and potential buyers. Now
everybody is even more keen on the 550 Barchetta which will very probably
have its debut at the Paris Motor Show in October. The limited production will
be sold out very soon.
You are right, this is not a 550 Barchetta !
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