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China's BAIC Working with Pininfarina on Saab-based Model, Confirms Interest in the Italian Design House
Last year, BAIC purchased the intellectual rights for Saab's older 9-5 and certain 9-3 models from General Motors, which then still owned the Swedish firm.
"I just came back from Italy last week and have communicated with the technical staff at Pininfarina about the design proposal of the Saab models," the BAIC executive said. "Pininfarina is the most successful overseas car design company in China. BAIC has been collaborating with it on development of models based on the Saab technology and will display an all-new concept car with the Saab genes at next year's Shanghai auto show, while Pininfarina will be responsible for the contour design of the car."
We'll remind you that BAIC's subsidiary BAW (Beijing Auto Work), showed a Saab 9-3-based model called the C60 along with a larger sedan based on the 9-5 named C71 (pictured here), at the Beijing Auto Show this past April.
The unnamed BAIC exec also confirmed reports from Italian media about the company's interest in taking over Pininfarina S.p.A.
"BAIC has submitted the bid for the Italian firm for several months," he said. "The successful acquisition of Pininfarina will be very favorable for BAIC’s development of future models. But BAIC does not have to win the bid, after all, the two sides are still under the cooperation."
Other companies said to be interested in the money-losing Italian design house include Canadian-Austrian parts supplier Magna International and India's Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd.
Source: Eeo via: Gasgoo , Photos: Che168
The PR people behind the New Stratos project continue to slowly reveal additional information about Pininfarina's one-off supercar. This time they released the full tech specs and performance figures.
Based on Ferrari F430 Scuderia underpinnings, the retrotastic Stratos packs a considerable punch. It measures 4.1 meters in length and tips the scales at just 1.247 kg (2.749 pounds) with the weight distributed 44% in the front and 56% at the rear. Power-to-weight ratio is 2.3 kg/hp, thanks to the 4.3-liter V8 engine, which churns out 540 hp and over 500 Nm (369 lb-ft) of torque. That’s 30 ponies more than the Scuderia’s stock powerplant.
The New Stratos rides on 19-inch alloys, shod in 265/30 front and 315/30 rear Dunlop Sport Maxx tires. Stopping power is provided by 398 mm front and 350 mm rear Brembo brakes.
Pininfarina’s test team wasn’t able to properly put the new car through its paces due to bad weather, so the performance figures announced are preliminary. Even so, they’re pretty amazing.
The sprint to 100 km/h (62 mph) is claimed to be just 3.3 seconds and, pushed further, the Stratos can reach 200 km/h (124 mph) in an equally impressive 9.7 seconds. The engineers plan to introduce a new rear axle, which will reduce top speed to 274 km/h (170 mph), but will also further improve acceleration values.
For the complete spec sheet check out our gallery below.
By Csaba Daradics
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After Pininfarina presented the New Stratos to the car's owner Michael Stoschek, the Italian design house invited Ferrari head-honcho Luca di Montezemelo to take it for a spin around the Fiorano circuit in Maranello.
According to the project's official website, Mr. di Montezemolo was very impressed with the New Stratos, openly praising it with exclamations such as "bellissima" and "congratulazioni". And that's not all, as the Ferrari CEO called his technical director, Roberto Fedeli, and suggested he should also take a look at the car.
Chief test driver Dario Benuzzi was next behind the wheel, pushing the new Stratos to its limits. With more than 40 years of experience in calibrating sport and racecars, Benuzzi concluded that the rear axle becomes a bit "agitated" during high speed cornering, but it can be "cured" by a bit more toe-in on the rear wheels.
Then again, given that the New Stratos is based on the F430 Scuderia's underpinnings, we weren't expecting anything but words of praise from the Ferrari brass. The next meeting with the New Stratos will take place at the official press unveiling at the Paul Ricard Circuit, in France in about a week's time.
By Csaba Daradics
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The automotive industry was taken by surprise a few months ago when it was revealed that German businessman, Michael Stoschek, commissioned Pininfarina to build an one-off successor to the legendary Lancia Stratos HF, based on the Ferrari F430 Scuderia. Now, new technical data emerged about this very special model.
Like its predecessor, which was built around the Ferrari Dino V6, the new Stratos also uses Ferrari DNA. While few donor cars are better than the F430 Scuderia, engineers behind this project heavily modified and even customized all of its components.
Work started on the chassis, which was shortened by 20 cm (about 8 inches) and fitted with an FIA-certified roll cage. Thus, the structural rigidity was greatly increased and engineers also shifted the center of gravity towards the front of the car, improving handling characteristics.
Despite the added weight of the 55 kg (121 lbs) cage and 28 kg (62 lbs) air conditioning unit, the builder's say the New Stratos is actually 80 kg (176 lbs) lighter than the donor car.
Next up were the dampers, which come with electronic calibration, adjustable from the steering wheel like in many professional racing cars. The springs were modified too, as specialists worked out the optimum camber and toe values.
The new Stratos rides on 19-inch wheels, shod in Dunlop Sport Maxx tires (265/30 front, 315/30 back), and uses high performance Brembo ceramic brakes. There are no detailed technical specifications on the engine yet, but the 4.3-liter V8 has received a new control unit and exhaust system, so peak power is likely to be higher than the stock F430 Scuderia's 510HP.
The interior is entirely built using aluminum and carbon fiber, with the racecar-sourced steering wheel taking center stage. It has paddle shifters attached to it, which control the 6-speed transmission capable of shifting gears in less than 60 milliseconds.
The new Stratos will be thoroughly tested in the coming weeks. We'll be back with updates, as the project goes on.
By Csaba Daradics
