A sports car with an unprecedented and innovative architecture that defies any existing classification. This is how Ferrari describes the Purosangue, the first four-door, four-seater production car in the history of the Prancing Horse. Don’t call it an SUV or a crossover, they say in Maranello, it is a sportscar with a 725 bhp naturally aspirated V12 engine and 100 per cent Ferrari DNA, as its name suggests. An uncompromising project, says Flavio Manzoni, who together with his Ferrari Design team defined the elegant and powerful forms of the Purosangue.
Athletic and streamlined, it was conceived as a versatile sports car suitable for multiple uses before being a four-door, four-seat Ferrari. “Our main inspiration was aerodynamics. We work as closely as ever with engineering. The headlights are a good example of this synergy: in order not to place them too high up, we created two channels around the DRLs, which are then set between the air intakes,” Manzoni explained during a preview at the Maranello style centre.
“We were therefore concerned about proportions and the harmony of volumes. We decided to divide the formal treatment into two parts: an ‘underbody’, the area at the base dedicated to the technology, and an ‘upperbody’ that would result in a floating-looking sculpture, almost as if it were suspended over the wheel arches”. Although the volume is more imposing than that of a super sports car, the particular scanning of the car in height produces an overall effect of lightness. At the same time, to give the Ferrari Purosangue a pronounced stance, the Centro Stile favoured bold, original forms.
The panoramic effect passenger compartment is revealed by opening the double doors: “The second door hinged at the rear has made it possible to contain the wheelbase and overall length while offering good accessibility,” observes Manzoni. To make the most of the space on board, all the shapes have been designed to ensure minimal space requirements, achieving maximum ergonomics. The driver’s seat is inspired by that of the SF90 Stradale and finds its almost symmetrical alter ego on the passenger side. This creates an unparalleled emotional involvement for the front passenger, thanks also to the 10.2-inch display that provides all the information needed to participate in the driving experience. The Ferrari Purosangue also features the full-digital interface already introduced in the rest of the range.
The body of the tunnel, finished with fine upholstery, is combined with a structural element dominated by the metal gate with its characteristic ‘Y’ shape. The lower area houses small storage compartments and creates material and chromatic continuity with the bottom. The quest for luxury cannot, however, disregard attention to environmental sustainability. Eighty-five per cent of the car’s upholstery is made from eco-sustainable materials: the headlining fabric is recycled polyester, the regenerated polyamide carpet is made from fishing nets recovered from the sea and the newly composed Alcantara is also made from recycled polyester. The Ferrari Purosangue is in fact the first car in the world to use a special version of Alcantara composed of 68% post-consumer recycled polyester.
