At the Geneva Motor Show Touring Superleggera unveiled a new project, the “Sciądipersia”, which is takes its inspiration from a famous creation from the Milanese coachbuilder’s past and has been developed on the Maserati GranTurismo. It will be built in a run of ten unique examples.
This new project is the coachbuilder’s latest interpretation of the ‘gran turismo’ theme: a car traditionally designed for long journeys, where the passengers derive as much pleasure from the journey as the driver.
A customer who admired Touring Superleggera's past cars, commissioned the creation of this new model; a car designed to cover long distance with ease and in comfort. The car is 4965 mm long and weighs in at 1,700 kg.
The Sciądipersia celebrates the sixtieth anniversary of the bespoke coachwork designed by Touring in 1958 on the Maserati 5000GT rolling chassis for the ruler of Iran, a demanding collector of fine motorcars, and nicknamed after him. For such a man a grand design of regal elegance was commissioned, and then as now, the client consented to a very limited production run, resulting in three cars.
Touring Superleggera's style is renowned for its proportions, and in the Sciądipersia the line is that of a quintessential gran turismo, with flowing, elongated shapes that slip through the air. In contrast to the current trend, Touring has adopted proportions, that hint at a subtle elegance, regal in every sense, exuding dynamism without aggression.
The surface treatments, reckon Touring, portray an arrow about to be loosed from a bow, with a sharp front and a suggestion of the fletches at the rear. “The absence of visible support structures allows light to flood the cabin, allowing a total involvement with the surrounding environment, making the journey not only comfortable, but exciting, satisfying, absolute,” says Louis de Fabribeckers, Head of Design.
Dynamism is expressed by the horizontal feature line which divides the car while smooth surfaces, joined by sharp edges on the side and tail aim enhance the purity of the design.
Different treatments are applied to the aluminium trim, with highly polished detailing juxtaposed with hand- brushed satin finishes, to reflect the light in different ways, emphasising the coachbuilt nature of the car.
The extensive greenhouse and glass roof, interrupted only by a brushed-aluminium C-pillar, immerses the occupants in the natural surroundings of the outside environment, with panoramic views out, and with the passing scenery a silent travel companion, the interior aiming to bring to mind images of luxury travel in the days of the Orient Express and the great ocean liners.
Contributing to this effect is the Orient Night Blue, a rich hue that reproduces a clear night sky, reflecting points of light like distant stars.
The interior carries themes over from the exterior, such as the continuous horizontal division wrapping around the occupants while Touring uses hides from Foglizzo, supplier of bespoke luxury leather for unique cars since 1921 for the interior. The details include developing a special aroma, which Foglizzo reserves for Touring customers.
The exterior's deep blue is matched by the seats, which are then highlighted with contrasting piping and stitching, while the centre of the headrest displays the Sciądipersia name, embroidered by hand. Lighter shades of natural colours are used to offset the darker colours of the seats. It also comes with a set of customised Foglizzo luggage.
Like the original car, Sciądipersia is based on a Maserati rolling chassis. Choosing the Maserati GranTurismo as a basis gave Touring Superleggera the ideal starting point, its specifications being suited to the project, with excellent torsional rigidity, comfort and high performance.
That means under the skin is the GranTurismo’s regular 90-degree 4691 cc V8 engine which is fed to the rear wheels via the ‘MC’ 6-speed transmission with electro-actuated sequential synchronised shifts and steering wheel-mounted controls or 6 speed automatic ZF gearbox with torque converter. The forged alloy wheels features 245/35 ZR20 tyres at the front and 285/35 ZR20 at the rear.
The mechanical components, electrical systems and all electronics are retained unaltered from the manufacturer.
The Sciądipersia is built entirely by hand in the Touring Manifattura in Milan blending traditional hand-beaten panels with lightweight carbon fibre elements. Precision and quality of the body must match the most compelling standard, and cutting-edge digital measurement tools are used to this purpose at each stage, from the panel fabrication through to the body-in-white and the finished car. The manufacturing process is completely documented and digitally logged to ensure repeatability.
Quality control processes include static and dynamic tests before the vehicle is approved for road use. High standards of panel alignment, panel gaps and clearances, painting, polishing, leather craft and stitching are all rigidly adhered to. Functional tests are conducted in a climatic chamber. Dynamic tests for air and water tightness, road noise, wet and dry handling, driveability, braking, NVH and all performance aspects are carried out on track. Tests are also carried out for maximum speed and rough surface behaviour.
The Sciądipersia has received Type Approval under European Directive 2007/46EC for cars in small series production. The engine complies with the EURO 6 regulations.
Touring Superleggera is able to deliver the complete car within six months of receiving the donor car. Each part produced or modified by Touring Superleggera is covered by a two-year, unlimited mileage warranty, subject to normal terms of use. The procurement of parts produced or modified by Touring Superleggera is guaranteed for life.
Photos: Touring Superleggera Sciądipersia
