Vittori, a visionary new hypercar company with roots in both America and Italy, has debuted its inaugural vehicle, Turbio, this October in Miami. This limited-run hybrid hypercar, based on an original visual concept by Vittori and designed in partnership with the legendary Italian design house Pininfarina, will feature a perfect package of impeccable production, quality, craftsmanship, aesthetics, and of course, speed. Headquartered in the U.S. but manufactured in Italy, Vittori’s debut represents a fusion of timeless artistry and cutting-edge technology, redefining what is possible for our future while also respecting the beloved aesthetics and qualities of classic car design.
Founder and CEO, Carlos Cruz, began Vittori after a career scaling multi-million-dollar businesses across finance, tech, and AI industries. Cruz notes, “Our dream was to create a beautiful, high-speed vehicle that evoked emotion and a sense of connection. We didn’t want to make another supercar—we wanted to build something that feels like flight, like sculpture, like power at your fingertips. We sought to build a reality where performance, beauty, control, and freedom could exist in one car—without compromise.”
The model debuting in Miami is a running concept, just the beginning of Vittori’s journey towards the production version. The key to the vehicle’s debut is a design deeply rooted in both legacy and innovation. The Vittori team aimed to prioritize craftsmanship, old-world artistry, and a timeless Italian presence. To achieve this vision, they collaborated with Italian icon Pininfarina, the global design house behind some of the most enduring silhouettes in automotive history, including models for Ferrari and Maserati, to drive Vittori’s concept development, dream manufacturing, and the production of exclusive limited series. Pininfarina’s expert understanding of not only materiality, but their unparalleled experience with designing silhouettes and interiors built for velocity, top-tier ergonomics, and superior functionality, made them the perfect partner for this debut vehicle.
“Partnering with Vittori on a new vision for the hypercar market embodies one of the essential traits of Pininfarina,” states Giuseppe Bonollo, SVP Mobility, Pininfarina. “For decades, Pininfarina has leveraged its heritage in coachbuilding and its ability to transform pure design exercises into industrial realities through comprehensive, turn-key solutions. These skills remain paramount at Pininfarina in serving global customers, and we are therefore pleased to support Vittori in its mission.”
Debuting this October in Miami, the first Vittori vehicle will be a limited-run hybrid hypercar, with only 50 cars available for purchase. The car will debut as a proprietary powertrain developed by Italtecnica, showcasing advanced aerodynamics and additive manufacturing technology. The exterior design is driven by aerodynamic performance. The clean, pure, and seamless body surfaces naturally integrate with the air intakes and exhausts required for cooling flow management. The active rear wing allows the driver to reduce drag or increase downforce depending on the route and driving style. Inside, Vittori also stands apart by putting the driver back in control. Instead of filling the cabin with touchscreens, physical controls and switches have been meticulously restored, placing every element with intent to bring back the pure thrill of mechanical engagement.
More details will be available in the coming months, following the car’s debut in October. For more information, visit go.vittori.com
Pioneering cleantech engineers, Viritech debuted their revolutionary hydrogen powertrain technology in the form of the Apricale, the world’s first zero-emission hypercar to achieve weight parity with petrol-engined competitors, at the Goodwood Festival of Speed today.
Performance with Purpose
Apricale is the first car in the world to achieve zero-emissions hypercar performance, with a weight of only 1,000kg. This transforms the driving experience of the Apricale. it combines the agility of the best petrol-engined hypercars with the instant response of an electric motor. Indeed, the electric drivetrain means it is actually more responsive than a traditional hypercar.
However, the Apricale does more than simply transform the electric hypercar. With the combination of a light weight and zero emissions, it opens up a new world of sustainable transport. Many vehicles cannot function with a powertrain that weighs more than an equivalent internal combustion engine. Until now, such vehicle categories have been excluded from the move to zero-emissions powertrains, as batteries are always heavier than internal combustion engines – and the higher the power requirement, the bigger the difference.
The powertrain of the Apricale represents a historic landmark. It proves that a zero-emissions powertrain can offer the same power, the same weight and the same range as an internal combustion engine.
Re-imaging FCEV
The ambition to overcome all the compromises of zero-emission vehicles required Viritech’s engineers to completely reconsider how fuel cells and batteries function together. Matt Faulks, Viritech’s CTO explains, “Hydrogen fuel cells have, until now, been used as range extenders for powertrains with batteries at their heart. We’ve essentially turned that approach on its head, developing a powertrain around multi-hundred kW fuel cell system supported by a lightweight but highly efficient battery. This delivers hypercar performance for Apricale, but at less than half the weight of typical BEV hypercars.”
Faulks continues, “Not only does this reduction in weight transform Apricale’s driving dynamics, but our reduced reliance on batteries means less demand on rare earth minerals.”
The multi-hundred kW fuel cells are combined with unique Ultra High Power lithium-ion cells developed by technical partners, AMTE Power and Viritech’s patent-pending intelligent energy management system, Tri-Volt™. While the fuel cells provide the main motive power for Apricale, the battery provides additional power for acceleration and ultra-high performance driving, as well as a highly-efficient storage for regenerative braking energy.
The Tri-Volt™ Energy Management System and Viritech’s patent-pending power electronics enable a continuously variable mix of energy from both the fuel cells and the batteries. In addition, the very fast charge and discharge batteries enable the regenerative braking system to recover many times more kinetic energy than a traditional battery electric vehicle.
Until now, hydrogen has been another key weight problem. To withstand the 700 bar pressure, most hydrogen storage tanks have a weight efficiency of only around 5% (ie 5kg of hydrogen requires a 100kg storage tank). Viritech’s engineers developed a radical solution. Viritech’s patent pending Graph-Pro™ technology uses lightweight composites and a graphene-enabled resin system, allowing the tanks to form part of the structural element of the Apricale monocoque. This solution minimises weight, improves packaging and provides a projected range of over 350 miles/560 kms before refuelling.
The Chassis, Unshackled
The fact that Apricale weighs only 1,000kg means that it can escape the handling constraints of a BEV hypercar. The suspension features all-round pull-rod torsion bar suspension with a limited degree of active ride control.
With a low polar moment of inertia, the car will have the dynamic characteristics of a classic mid-engined supercar with minimal weight transfer under steer, yaw and pitch.
There are two drive motors (one on the front axle, one on the rear). With its sub-1,000kg weight, there is limited requirement for torque vectoring, so the driveline uses a pair of mechanical differentials.
The unique combination of light weight and the instant response of electric motors means that the Apricale will be even more inspiring to drive than a traditional supercar.
Future Technology fused with Timeless Design
The Apricale revealed at Goodwood today was originally conceived as a reference design by Viritech, and optimised by Pininfarina.
Silvio Angori, CEO of Pininfarina describes the design as ‘a synthesis of technology, sustainability, beauty, and above all, performance.’ Viritech is extremely proud of working with perhaps the greatest name in automotive design, a partnership which embodies the Apricale’s mission to take the heritage of the hypercar, and completely reinvent it for the future.
Alongside the development of the Apricale’s styling, Viritech is in discussion with Pininfarina to build the limited production run of just 25 examples at its atelier in Cambiano in Turin.
With stunning looks, Apricale will not just be seen, but also heard. Matt Faulks explains that ‘cars must be imbued with personality’ and to that end, Apricale will have its very own distinct and futuristic sound emanating from the fuel cells and electric drivetrain.
Delivered in 2024
Apricale’s key technologies including the drivetrain, the Tri-Volt™ EMS and the Graph-Pro™ structural storage vessels have already been validated in two mule vehicles that have successfully undergone testing. Experimental prototype 1 (XP1) will provide the final sign-off process for the powertrain. While XP1 will test for 100,000km, it will overlap with a production prototype, intended to validate all aspects of Apricale during 2023, so that Viritech can commence customer deliveries in early 2024.
Scalable Technology
The technologies developed by Viritech are highly scalable. Viritech focused on the Apricale for their first application since a hypercar platform makes the most significant demands of power, weight and packaging. Proven in Apricale, the powertrain technology is being developed by Viritech for a diverse range of sustainable transport applications.
Matt Faulks, Viritech’s CTO said, ’Apricale has enabled us to completely reassess the benefits that different energy vectors offer. Until now, engineering choices have been finite and compromised, but adding hydrogen into the mix offers a whole new array of capabilities that we have aimed to optimise with a new approach to FCEV. Apricale is going to be spectacularly exciting for its owners and we truly hope marks a new chapter in powertrain technology. It is great to see that vision realised at Goodwood today.’
Timothy Lyons, Viritech’s Founder said, ’Viritech is focused on becoming the world’s leading developer of hydrogen powertrain solutions and the Apricale, with its requirement to optimise weight, space and performance, provided us the perfect development platform for our core powertrain technologies, which have also been designed for broad application in the coming age of sustainable transportation.’
Sennheiser and AMG, the high-performance subsidiary of Mercedes-Benz AG, have entered into a new collaboration that sees the future of driving performance and the future of audio intersect in the new Mercedes-AMG ONE hypercar. The AMG ONE will give drivers an authentic Formula 1 racing experience, with stunning MOMENTUM audio quality on the road by legendary audio expert Sennheiser.
The two-seat Mercedes-AMG ONE will bring the most modern and efficient Formula 1 hybrid technology almost one-to-one from the racetrack to the road. Combining overwhelming racetrack performance with exemplary efficiency, the AMG ONE will produce more than 1,000 hp, at a breath-taking maximum speed of over 350 km/h.
To augment the driving experience by enabling a joyful listening experience on the road and attenuate engine sound, the Sennheiser AMBEO Mobility division will provide owners of AMG ONE with optimised, smart-controlled MOMENTUM True Wireless earbuds.
“MOMENTUM True Wireless is the perfect match for a car as powerful as the Mercedes-AMG ONE, as they enable users to enjoy incredible high-fidelity sound even in noisy environments thanks to their advanced Active Noise Cancellation feature. And when greater situational awareness is needed, the Transparent Hearing feature lets the wearer blend in outside ambient sound at a touch” explained Frank Foppe, Sennheiser True Wireless Product Manager.
Ergonomically designed for the best possible fit and to reduce fatigue, as well as offering up to 28-hours battery life by charging on the go from the supplied case, the earbuds are co-branded with the AMG-Mercedes and Sennheiser names.
“At Sennheiser, we love pushing boundaries and setting new standards for the listening experience. And emotion is driven by sound, in both the audio and the automotive worlds. Driving a F1 engine while enjoying premium music quality is the kind of unthinkable user experience that our AMBEO Mobility team is built to address”, added Veronique Larcher, Head of Sennheiser AMBEO Mobility. As sound is one of the most thrilling elements of any high-performance car, the collaboration between Mercedes-AMG and Sennheiser for the AMG ONE came naturally: Both parties are assuring an outstanding experience to fully meet customer’s expectations for premium quality.
Please find more information about this project here.
