Pininfarina Hyperion Rolls Royce Cabriolet: New Image Gallery

Italian design house and coachbuilder Pininfarina presented the Hyperion at the Concours d’Elegance at Pebble Beach in California. The one-off custom-built car that is derived from the Rolls-Royce Drophead Coupe was named after Hyperion, one of the Titans of Greek mythology. The Hyperion was created for collector Roland Hall who asked Pininfarina to design a custom-built car that would evoke the appeal of the lavish cars of the 1930s. Or at least that was the Italian coachbuilder’s intent as we find the Hyperion looks a bit too gaudy - like something that came out of the Thunderbird TV series. Of course that’s our personal take so feel free to disagree.

Under the skin, while the Hyperion maintains the Drophead Coupe’s 6.75-liter V12 engine, Pininfarina moved the driving position further back (400 mm), took out the rear seats, extended the roof and shortened the rear end. The bodywork is made of carbon fibre with the exception of the doors that are made out of solid wood by craftsmen who specialize in creating components for luxury boats. -Continued

The Italian firm also designed a new hood, which folds behind the seats under a wood-lined cover. In front of the windscreen Pininfarina created two compartments for small items or for sports equipment.

The interior of the car is practically unchanged, as the only addition concerns a new watch that was designed specifically for the Hyperion by Girard-Perregaux. Interestingly, the watch can be removed from the dash and attached to a bracelet to be worn on the wrist.

Pininfarina Hyperion: New High-Res Image Gallery

Love it or loathe it, this is Pininfarina’s latest creation that is based on the Rolls-Royce Drophead Coupe. Although we’d like to see the Hyperion in real life before we make any conclusions, we must say that these official renderings make us wonder if Pininfarina has lost its touch. In any case, the Hyperion which was created as a one-off for an unnamed wealthy car collector, will make its official debut the Concours d’Elegance classic car show at Pebble Beach in California on August 17th. Pininfarina hasn’t released any details yet, but expect the Hyperion to use the same 6.75-litre V12 engine as the Rolls-Royce Drophead Coupe. -Image gallery after the jump

Via: Autoblog.it

Pininfarina’s Rolls-Royce Based Hyperion Unveiled

This is the first picture of Pininfarina’s Hyperion that will make its official debut at the Pebble Beach Concours classic car show in Monterey, California on August 13. The Hyperion is a one-off coach-built model that was commissioned by an unnamed and apparently, very rich enthusiast. Based on the Rolls Royce Drophead Coupe, the Hyperion is supposed to pay homage to the great pre war cars with its style, size and overall presence.

Andrea Pininfarina Dies in Motorcycle Accident

Andrea Pininfarina, head of the famed Italian design firm that bears his family name died Thursday morning in a motorcycle accident after a car collided with the Vespa he was riding to the company's design and r&d center in Cambiano. Pininfarina, who was 51, had been Chief Executive Officer of Pininfarina S.p.A. since 2001 and Chairman of the Board of Directors since 2006. Andrea Pininfarina was the grandson of the founder of the firm, Battista "Pinin" Farina. The death of Andrea Pininfarina comes at a time when the family-controlled company is in the midst of a crucial restructuring after Pininfarina's consolidated net loss increased from €21.9 million in 2006 to €114.9 million in 2007.

Via: ANE (sub.req)

Pininfarina Hyperion Based on Rolls Royce DropHead Coupe

Italian design house Pininfarina has revealed a teaser sketch of an all new project built for an unnamed private collector that will be unveiled at the Pebble Beach Concours classic car show in Monterey, California, this August. The project, named “Pininfarina Hyperion”, is a convertible model based on the Rolls Royce Drophead Coupè. According to Pininfarina, the Hyperion’s design will pay homage to the great pre war cars. This isn't the first time that Pininfarina has built a one off special model. As many might remember, last year the Italian design house created the Ferrari P4/5 based on the Enzo for private car collector James Glickenhaus.

Ferrari’s Son to Buy Shares in Pininfarina Along With India’s Tata Motors

Pininfarina confirmed today that the son of Enzo Ferrari, Piero (VP of Ferrari) will be among those who will be buying shares in the problematic Italian car design and manufacturing company. The other investors are Indian industrialist Ratan Tata, French financier Vincent Bollore, Alberto Bombassei, the Italian chairman of braking systems maker Brembo and the Italian Marsiaj family, founders of seatbelt maker Sabelt.

Currently, the founding Pininfarina family holds a 55% stake in the Italian company but in order to finance a restructuring plan to revive its struggling business, it is willing to reduce it to about 30 percent, which will still allow the family to control the famous company.

Via: Reuters

Pininfarina Designed Brilliance BS4 Station Wagon: Debuts in Beijing

BMW's Chinese partner Brilliance took the wraps off the BS4 Station Wagon model at the Beijing Show this weekend. The BS4 borrows quite a few styling cues from the BMW 3-Series and the previous generation Audi A4, but the end-result is an elegant looking SW. And despite what you may think, like its sedan counterpart, the BS4 SW has actually been designed and engineered by the famous Italian house, Pininfarina!

The BS4 Sation Wagon comes equipped with the same 1.8 and 2.0-liter gasoline engines as the sedan version which was introduced in the Chinese market last year. Both variants of the BS4 are expected to go on sale in Europe by the end of the year. -More pics after the jump

Geneva Video: Pininfarina Sintesi Concept

Our fellow Italian Autobloggers shot this video of the Sintesi concept at Pininfarina’s Geneva Show booth. The Sintesi is an eye-catching four door vehicle that can seat four passengers in comfort – or at least that’s what Pininfarina supports. What Pininfarina doesn't say but we'd really like to find out is, if anyone knows the name and phone-number of that “fantastico” brunette...

Via: Autoblog.it

Geneva Preview: Pininfarina Sintesi Official Images

Wouldn’t it be great if all family cars could look a bit like Pininfarina’s latest concept, the Sintesi, that will break cover at the forthcoming Geneva Motor Show? But the Sintesi concept is more than just a styling exercise from Pininfarina’s behalf as the four seater sport-hatch also features a high-power alternative propulsion system. We’ll have more details and pictures of the Sintesi in early March when the Geneva Show officially opens its gates to the public. –Image gallery after the jump

Via: Worldcarfans , Source: Pininfarina

Geneva Show: Pininfarina Sintesi Supercar Concept

Renowned Italian design house Pininfarina has released the first official sketch of its Sintesi supercar concept that will make its debut at the 2008 Geneva Motor Show in early March. Pininfarina hasn’t released any mechanical details on the Sintesi, but its head designer, 33-year-old Lowie Vermeersch had a few things to say about the concept.

“This concept car is the synthesis of our values, of the love for our work and our passion for innovation, of beauty driven by functionality, of sportiness and elegance. However, Sintesi isn’t only the expression of Pininfarina design; it also embraces innovative technologies that allow us to explore new typologies of mobility, active safety and packaging solutions” stated Vermeersch.