Puritalia 427~ 965 hp Hybrid

Niche Italian sports car marque Puritalia made a name for itself earlier this decade with the introduction of the 427 roadster, a lightweight sports car with a Ford V-8 that we imagine Carroll Shelby might have built had he grown up in the hills around Modena.

Now Puritalia is back with a hard-top version of the 427, which the company aptly called the Berlinetta.

It made its debut on Tuesday at the 2019 Geneva International Motor Show, where Puritalia announced that just 150 examples are destined for production with pricing starting at $625,000. This figure can easily expand though, as full customization will be available through Puritalia's Sartoria personalization program.

The body is almost all carbon fiber, and it's wrapped around a carbon fiber tub with aluminum sub-frames attached. This has allowed designers to keep weight of the car down. Puritalia didn't mention a curb weight but for reference the 427 roadster weighed just 2,535 pounds.

For the interior, Puritalia has added a touchscreen display as well as voice activation. Some of the vehicle functions will also be controllable via a smartphone.

The Berlinetta is more than just a 427 with a roof. Puritalia has developed a plug-in hybrid powertrain for the Berlinetta that the company claims delivers 965 horsepower and a massive 920 pound-feet of torque—or more oomph than a Ferrari LaFerrari. The powertrain consists of a 5.0-liter V-8 mated to an electric motor, with both units sending drive to the rear wheels via a 7-speed automated manual transmission with paddle shifters.

Puritalia quotes a 0-62 mph time of 2.7 seconds and top speed of 208 mph. The company states that 12.4 miles of electric range is possible, thanks to an onboard 5.2-kilowatt-hour battery. In hybrid model, an onboard computer determines the mix of internal-combustion and electric power for optimal efficiency, taking into effect driving style as well as real-time road and weather conditions.