- At the upcoming Quail, Pininfarina will throw caution to the wind and unwrap the PURA Vision e-LUV concept, with 23-inch rims and an extremely short greenhouse.
- The PURA Vision incorporates some coming technologies such as nano fiber lighting and a glass roof with a “biscotto” center section ringed by LED lighting, as well as forward-hinged front doors and rear-hinged rear doors.
- Inside the “technology-rich cabin” is “an intuitive central touchscreen, advanced digital instrumentation” and a head-up display, which can all be personalized.
Pininfarina is a relatively new carmaker, with just one car out so far, the ultra-hyper electric super-car Battista, which is Pininfarina’s take on the supreme Rimac Nevera ultra-super-hypercar EV. So far, the Nevera and Battista are the only products to come from either company.
You might expect the next product to be a coupe or sedan. Most companies wait a little longer than their second car before unveiling the inevitable crossover utility vehicle. But here’s Pininfarina throwing caution to the wind and unwrapping the donk-u-licious PURA Vision e-LUV concept, a car that would make almost anyone in Miami long for it.
In case you’re unfamiliar with the term, a “donk” is any car that is jacked up and given monstrously oversized wheels. It used to refer specifically to 1971-76 Chevy Caprices and Impalas but the name is so good it’s expanded to mean any car once referred to as a “High Rise.”
They’re popular in South Florida and a few other regions of the world. What’s not to love (or e-LUV) about a donk? Everyone’s an art critic. Maybe it looks more like a jet-powered shoe?
Of course, Pininfarina is not calling this a donk. Officially it’s an e-LUV, an acronym that stands for “electric luxury utility vehicle.”
“(It) previews a new era of pure-electric luxury,” Pininfarina says. What you’re looking at is not meant to scare children, that’s way too cynical. No, what you’re looking at is an “elegant silhouette” with “dramatic proportions and clean surfaces” meant to “showcase the company’s PURA design philosophy, envisioned as a dramatic electric Luxury Utility Vehicle (e-LUV).”
(Do your eyeballs hurt? What does that say?)
“PURA Vision represents a striking interpretation of an electric Luxury Utility Vehicle, with bold cab-rear proportions that combine timeless beauty with exquisite detailing to create a dynamic identity with unmistakable presence,” Pininfarina said in its release on the rolling eyesore. “Show-stopping features include its narrow glasshouse and tri-opening pillarless doors, which provide supreme access to its sophisticated cabin.”
Behold the 23-Inch Rims
Paolo Dellachà, Automobili Pininfarina CEO, said: “PURA Vision is the bridge from our present to an exciting new chapter in the history of Automobili Pininfarina. In our fifth year, we have already celebrated our unique heritage with the introduction of the Battista Edizione Nino Farina. PURA Vision previews an exciting future and shows what can be achieved if we apply our PURA design principles to an entirely new kind of vehicle.”
The PURA Vision does incorporate some coming technologies such as nano fiber lighting, a glass roof with a “biscotto” center section ringed by LED lighting, and lounge doors on the sides matched by forward-hinged front doors and rear-hinged rear doors. The whole thing “blends the road presence of an SUV with the purposeful character of a low-slung sports car,” Pininfarina insists.
Inside the “technology-rich cabin” is “an intuitive central touchscreen, advanced digital instrumentation and a head-up display, which can all be personalized by the driver,” all aimed at serving occupants with the information they need, when they need it.
Pininfarina calls the seating 2+2.
The central display rises from the console when required but can be stowed to minimize distractions, while speakers in the headrests provide individual sound zones for each occupant, for a truly bespoke traveling experience, Pininfarina says.
The craft is 205 inches long, which is actually 20 inches shorter than a Chevy Suburban—shorter, surely, than it looks in the photos. Those are 23-inch wheels, too, same size as the equally spurious Maybach SUV.
Here’s hoping it either looks better in person, or looks better in production, if they make something like this, which all automakers must do to survive.
You can see it for yourself at The Quail in a few weeks.
What are your thoughts on the Pininfarina e-LUV PURA Vision Concept? Please comment below.
Mark Vaughn grew up in a Ford family and spent many hours holding a trouble light over a straight-six miraculously fed by a single-barrel carburetor while his father cursed Ford, all its products and everyone who ever worked there. This was his introduction to objective automotive criticism. He started writing for City News Service in Los Angeles, then moved to Europe and became editor of a car magazine called, creatively, Auto. He decided Auto should cover Formula 1, sports prototypes and touring cars—no one stopped him! From there he interviewed with Autoweek at the 1989 Frankfurt motor show and has been with us ever since.
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