Italian Automotive Joy

When most people think Italian cars, names like Alfa Romeo, Testarossa, Lamborghini and Quattroporte all come to mind.

And while these names are all intrinsically Italian, Pininfarina's new car distances itself from this tradition by naming its newest vehicle the 'Enjoy'.

Beyond the rather limp name, the new Pininfarina sportscar will be rare, sexy and very, very fast - so we'll overlook that unorthodox name for now.

The idea behind producing the Enjoy sportscar is that Pininfarina wants to first weigh the interest of collectors and enthusiasts towards a special car, which is supposed to be manufactured and sold in only 75 units during 2005 to celebrate the company's 75th anniversary.

Louis Vuitton also had a part to play in the creation of the Enjoy - with which Pininfarina now has an alliance - commissioned to work on the interiors of the vehicle.

One of the first things that jumps up and grabs you about the Enjoy is its weight, or lack thereof - the car tips the scales at a bantamweight 850kg and is capable of reaching speeds of up to 250km/h.

The Enjoy takes advantage of Toyota's oft-used 1.8-litre, 16-valve VVTL-i Celica engine (fettled by Lotus), outputting some 141kW of power @ 7600rpm.

Granted, 180Nm of torque @ 6800rpm isn't exactly big time twist, and that powerband is more peaky than user-friendly -- but the car's light weight comes to the rescue, and an impressive 0-100km/h sprint time of just 5.2 seconds results.

A 6-speed manual transmission transfers power to the rear wheels, while 282mm ventilated disc brakes adorn the front and rear axles.

17-inch alloys shod with 215/40 profile rubber comprise the front wheels, while the rears are slightly larger in diametre and tread width - 18-inch rims shod with 235/40 profile tyres.

In addition to its rapid straight line performance, it's also a radically styled vehicle - something Pininfarina's Turin workshop is renowned for. Aspects such as the elimination of the windscreen highlight the way that style guided the car's design.

The carbon fibre bodywork has a central body with an elliptical shape and a wedge-like ridge along the side and a sizeable air inlet at the front meets the slim bumpers.

At the centre of the front bonnet a broad reverse bonnet scoop hides the opening for the radiator air vent, while the lights are cleverly built into a transparent longitudinal band which highlights the separation between bonnet and mudguards.

Further to this radical design theme, the wheel fenders or mudguards can be dismounted and removed, transforming the Enjoy into an extreme open wheel roadster. Two cars for the price of one?

Once the mudguards are removed, technical features typical of the motor biking world attract the eye, where mechanical elements are a key part of design.

Under the skin, the car's rigidity comes from an extruded aluminium chassis, which along with some mechanical components were supplied by Lotus.

According to the Pininfarina public relations people, the double wishbone front and rear suspensions, tuned by Matra, translate to “track level” driving precision in all conditions.

Talking about his new toy, President and CEO of the Pininfarina Group, Andrea Pininfarina, said: "A year has passed since we presented what was essentially a fun concept in Geneva, which turned out to be a great success with critics and public alike.

"This is what led us to decide on a limited production run, which was also an opportunity to take advantage of our extended business areas resulting from the acquisition of Matra. It is a unique opportunity to present a new model manufactured by Pininfarina itself," Andrea Pininfarina concluded.

What kind of price can you expect to pay for a thoroughly engineered sportscar of which only 75 units will be built and whose interior is styled by one of the biggest names in fashion? No one's talking cost yet, but six figures is a fair bet.

For Pininfarina, which has never built cars of its own before, the Enjoy is a real turning point and together with Louis Vuitton, the Italian company has created what is a very exclusive and very desirable performance car.

Thanks to the recent acquisition of the engineering, testing and prototyping divisions of Matra Automobile, which has a tried and tested culture in terms of mechanical work, Pininfarina has been able to extend its areas of expertise and become a genuine car manufacturer, turning the Enjoy into an exclusive and innovative product.