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Pininfarina Sintesi
by Ross Bonander, Contributing Writer
Type: Hydrogen fuel cell
Class: 4-door sports car
Manufacturer: Pininfarina
“Our source of inspiration [for the Sintesi] was man’s freedom over technology, a car in which technology gives creative freedom back to the designer and allows us to explore new forms and future sce
narios.”
The Critics Say...
“Pininfarina’s latest work [is] a cutting-edge technology showcase … designed to explore new typologies of mobility, active safety and packaging solutions.”—motorauthority.com
Overview
We try to avoid reviewing concept cars with any regularity here at Futurecars but every so often concepts come along whose technology displays so much great potential and whose design is so fantastic that they demand we spill a little ink on them. The Pininfarina Sintesi is one of those concepts.
Famed Italian car design firm Pininfarina—responsible for the breathless designs of Ferrari’s Maserati’s, Alfa Romeo’s and more—typically uses the Geneva Auto Show to unveil her concepts and the 2008 show was no different in that respect, presenting the stunning and stylish Sintesi hydrogen fuel cell car.
What We Like
• The “Liquid” Packaging. This concept doesn’t “consider the car as a form which covers mechanical parts and passengers, but rather to give form to the mechanical parts around the passengers.” It improves weight distribution and lowers the center of gravity, contributing to its driving dynamics. Credit the company’s collaboration with Nuvera, developers of the Quadrivium Fuel Cells system. This system distributes the powertrain, putting the four in-wheel electric motors and four fuel cell stacks on the frame near the wheels.
• The design. The Sintesi’s smooth, stylish lines create, in their words, a “continuous looped surface that, starting from the front wing, stretches along the side of the car, naturally blends into the rear fender and then turns around the side window to dive back under the front wing.”
• The cabin. Unlike any interior we’ve ever seen, the fluid beauty of the Sintesi’s innovative cabin was designed as an integral aspect of the exterior.
• The headlights. Right, the headlights, because with tele-cameras and a proximity radar they are the eyes and ears of the vehicle’s far-reaching and futuristic Transparent Mobility system which envisions a world in which cars communicate with one another and the surrounding environment.
What We Don’t Like
• The concept. Meaning only that we wish she weren’t a concept car.
Pininfarina Sintesi Specifications
Propulsion system: 700hp electric-hydrogen powertrain (four in-wheel motors and four fuel cell stacks)
Top Speed: 118 mph (using the fuel cell only)
Zero-to-62: 9 seconds
MPG: NA
Vehicle range: NA
Fuel(s): hydrogen and electricity
Battery pack: NA (although possibly something akin to the Bolloré-made lithium metal polymer expected in the Pininfarina Bolloré electric car)
Tailpipe emissions: No
Conclusion
Pininfarina has suggested that the Sintesi could go into production in 2015. We sure hope so. In the meantime we’re looking forward to the company’s electric car joint venture with Bolloré, expected to go on sale at the end of 2008.
More information on the Pininfarina Sintesi at: sintesi.pininfarina.com
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