Pininfarina, the famed Italian design house which has been owned by the Indian Mahindra Group since 2015, has rocked up to the Geneva Motor Show with what one might call a classical concept car - something so blue-sky that you might need sunblock just to stand next to it.
Hydrogen hybrid
It's the Engima GT, and instead of being an all-electric car as you might expect, this one is packing a hydrogen-fuelled combustion engine. Oh, and an electric motor as well, making this a 2+2 coupe with both hydrogen and hybrid electric power.
The hydrogen engine powers the rear wheels, and it's a 2.5-litre V6 turbo unit, developing 441hp all by itself. Up front, there's a 200kW (271hp) electric motor powering the front wheels, and that's a combo which gives the Enigma GT some pretty spectacular performance - 0-100km/h is done in 'less than four seconds' according to Pininfarina.
The electric motor is powered by a 10kWh battery, and if you combine that with a full 9kg tank of hydrogen (which can be refuelled in 5-6 minutes) then Pininfarina reckons you have a range of around 550km, and up to 700km if you're taking it easy. The entire car weighs 1,690kg - not bad for something packing this much engineering tech.
"The Enigma GT - says Felix Kilbertus, Chief Creative Officer Pininfarina - "is a beginning of sorts, something still a little mysterious, a first step in solving a tricky problem. We set out to offer a fresh perspective on what everyday driving pleasure might mean for a new generation. We decided to start by exploring one of the best automotive canvasses around: a contemporary GT, a 2+2 with desirable, exotic looks, done the Italian way - the Pininfarina way - exuding purity of design, elegance, and Italian flair. It is an ongoing study, an optimistic work in progress that speaks of our confidence in the future and the charm of the automobile. It is an open invitation to re-invent the future together."
Razor-sharp bodywork
This being a Pininfarina car, and given the company's legacy of stone-cold design classics, you'll be expecting the Enigma GT to look spectacular, and you won't be wrong. Quite aside from the razor-sharp folded-paper edges to the bodywork and the dramatic pontoon mountings for the front wheels, there's the massive wraparound windscreen, which looks like a half-fighter jet and half-racing driver's helmet visor.
Because the engine is mounted behind the 2+2 cabin, the front end of the car has been squeezed for all its aero worth, and there are active aerodynamics - in the form of active cooling grille shutters, moving wheel deflectors on those front pontoons, and active rear wing, and a thing called 'active base bleeding' which creates lower pressure behind the car, helping to speed up the movement of air over the bodywork - which help to bring the coefficient of drag down to just 0.24, and the overall frontal area drag (a figure most car makers don't talk about) down to 1.96-square metres, which Pininfarina describes as cutting edge.
Getting in and out of the Enigma GT is going to be pretty awesome, thanks to the fact that the whole roof and windscreen opens up - a trick Pininfarina lifted from some designs in its back catalogue, the Abarth 2000 Coupe Pininfarina, the Modulo, the Ferrari 512S Berlinetta Speciale, the Maserati Birdcage 75th, and the Teorema.
Lift-up canopy
Inside, along with the expected sustainable materials, there's a wraparound dashboard with a shallow, full-width digital display and an artificial intelligence system which Pininfarina says is designed to help the driver in real-time. "This feature goes beyond conventional navigation, offering a comprehensive set of functional tools. It provides Points of Interest for seamless navigation, identifies and alerts drivers about blind spots, and integrates Advanced Driver Assistance Systems functionalities for enhanced safety. This cutting-edge technology overlays relevant information directly onto the driver's field of vision, ensuring a more informed and secure driving experience," said a spokesperson.
The steering wheel - which is almost like an upside-down yoke, with a curved rim at the top and a cutaway section at the bottom - has been designed to "feel like the handshake of an intelligent, friendly machine" while the here's a touch display built into the wheel for adjusting the driving position and other functions.
Is this just a concept car flight of fancy, though? Well, maybe not. Pininfarina says it is "not just a design study, but the inception of a journey that will unfold over time." Indeed, there's talk of the Enigma disguising "the complete revelation of its design, keeping it shrouded in mystery and reserving the full unveiling for the future." Does that mean that Pininfarina has plans for a production model to sit alongside the all-electric Battista hypercar? Maybe...