Pininfarina H2 Speed Concept

Three years since the last concept car, the Sergio, Pininfarina has built another Ferraribased automotive tribute to the carrozzeria’s founder, former chairman and senator for life Sergio Pininfarina. Following a turbulent financial decade where the Indian Mahindra Group announced a deal to acquire arguably the most famous of Italian design houses, the designers of Cambiano took the opportunity to present their H2 Speed Concept. The Pininfarina H2 Speed Concept is a hydrogen powered high performance race car, developed in partnership with Green GT. The concept follows the current trend ofcombining an eco-friendly approach with a highperformance package. The H2 Speed Concept isto be the first vision in aline of concepts that recently also led to threeFormula E racing cardesign proposals by Mahindra Racing and Pininfarina. Green GT, the firm that collaborated in the creation of the H2 Speed Concept, is a Franco- Swiss company that has been developing and manufacturing clean propulsion systems for nearly a decade; involvement of this experienced partner was the basis for a realistic vision. The concept car is a good mix between racing prototype and production supercar and would not look out of place next to the holy trinity of most recent hybrid-hypercars: the Ferrari La Ferrari, McLaren P1 and Porsche 918 Spyder. As a matter of fact, the styling of the H2 Speed Concept looks so fresh and resolved, that one wonders why a firm likeKoenigsegg – itself producing innovative niche hypercars – wouldnot approach Pininfarinato style their new generation of products; similar to the famous Ferrari-Pininfarina relationship, it could really evolve into something truly magnificent. Designwise the Pininfarina H2 Speed Concept makes use of traditional lo and wide sportscar proportions incombination of distinct and confident styling themes. Rather than reheating basic clichés,the stylists of Pininfarina managed to marry aerodynamic efficiency with sculptural beauty. In a similar stylistic approach to Ford’s recent GT, the H2 Speed Concept features twotriangular volumes in plan-view whose intersection define the stylistic themes and coresurfacing of all other perspectives. Significantly more elegant than the engineering-led design of the aforementioned hybrid-hypercar triplet, one instantly forms the notion that a more democratic dialogue – between technical necessities and stylistic indulgence – took place. Graphically, the Pininfarina H2 Speed Concept is making reference to Pininfarina’s Sigma Grand Prix, a concept car of 1969; again managing just the right pinch of past reference in a hat-tip to true automotive anoraks. The Pininfarina H2 Speed Concept is a truly beautiful concept car that should give anyone – enthusiasts andindustry-clients alike – the confidence that   further significant designs from the carrozzeria in Cambiano are yet to come.