The Pininfarina HK GT has spread its wings at landed smack dab in the middle of the Geneva Motor Show. As the fourth model to come from a fruitful collaboration between Pininfarina and Hybrid Kinetic Group, it stays true to Pininfarina’s Italian roots while providing a sense of what high-performance and elegance will be in the future. It has all the bells and whistles, including gullwing doors, a 2+2 layout, electric power, and there’s even a microturbine generator to keep emissions output low and range anxiety at bay. All of that is packaged with excessively fine materials, the right amount of technology, and the performance credentials expected from a future GT.

Pininfarina HK GT Exterior Features

We won’t go into extreme detail here, as we’ll leave that for the review but, seriously, just look at that body. There’s a long front end that screams performance, a large greenhouse, and all the lines expected from something with the Pininfarina name attached to it.

The side profile is defined by the ultra-sharp body line that traverses from the front to the rear and that fender vent that you can almost see air passing through as it feeds down toward the side skirt to provide extra downforce. It’s especially notable the way the body seems to incase the beltline, ultimately creating a two-piece look – something you don’t see in production cars today.

Even the front end has all the right credentials of a performance car of the future. Despite its electric nature, it still has a proper grille and the way the lower lip integrates with the corners of the fascia to create the air intakes; it even has that performance look you expect. The hood, or lack thereof, is as sharp as anything we’ve seen, accented by a pair of nostrils in the middle and the high-sitting front fenders. Nice!

Even the rear end has an attractive presence to it. The small rear quarters (thanks to those gullwing doors) and large rear fascia somehow work well together while the long rear hatch only looks good because of those thin and sexy taillights.

Pininfarina HK GT Exterior Speccs

Maximum length:

4980 mm

Maximum width:

1998 mm

Maximum height:

1365 mm

Wheelbase:

2975 mm


Pininfarina HK GT Interior Features

The interior of the HK GT is something of science fiction but at the same time a feasible representation of what the future might hold – at least for ultra-luxurious brands, anyway. There are lots of wavy lines, and the way the seat cushions seem to float above the center console makes us feel a little weird. It is innovative the way they seem to blend in with the doors, however, one would expect the seam line between the seat cushions and the door trim to be a little more refined.

Ultimately, it’s loaded with tech too. The driver gets a small but highly function display ahead of the steering wheel while the passenger gets their very own display screen. A screen positioned on the center console in space-shuttle-style provides relevant information about the vehicle’s electric drive system as well as transmission function.

The traditional 2+2 layout provides for plenty of room in the rear while offering the same luxury as seen up front. There are no apparent screens back there, but the long center console creates a “personal space” for each rear occupant. It’s not exactly a car you would be chauffeured around in, as it’s more about performance and fun than luxury, but there’s enough of the latter to make it a good place to spend time in – even if you aren’t at the helm.

And, those gullwing doors, by the way, make ingress and egress from the rear nice and easy. The days of shoehorning yourself in and out the back of sportscars may finally be over, should this Italian beauty make it into production.

Pininfarina HK GT Performance

The HK GT produces more than 600 kW (about 804 horsepower) and does so via permanent magnet motors and a two-speed transmission. All-electric range is technically listed as “over 100 km” (about 62 miles) however, there is a microturbine range extender in place that will keep you going for “over 1000km” (more than 621miles.) The battery system itself is just 20 kWh, which is less than most EVs on the road today, including the Nissan Leaf and Chevy Volt.

Needless to say, that range extender does wonders, but the HK GT isn’t exactly the lightest car on the road either. Despite its aluminum chassis, it still tips the scales at 1860kg or about 4,100 pounds. Be that as it may, the HK GT can hit a top speed of 155 mph while the sprint to 62 mph takes just 2.9 seconds.

As far as handling goes, things should feel quite phenomenal as the weight distribution has a 52:48 spread with the extra bulk going to the rear. It does have all-wheel torque vectoring so don’t expect to do any drifting unless there’s a rear-wheel-only function, which is, of course, almost expected should the car shift into production.

Final Thoughts

To be honest, the automotive industry is quite in love with designing concepts that will never see the light of day outside transport to and from auto shows. Cars like the Pininfarina HK GT, however, give us a little hope that there will, at least one day, be a production model to talk about and maybe even get behind the wheel of. It does have a futuristic nature to it, but it’s not so outlandish that it couldn’t actually shift into production the way it sits. The microturbine range extender is efficient and eases range anxiety while the exterior look is sporty and well with modern expectations. For now, it’s just a concept, but don’t be surprised if the HK GT does show up as a production model sometime after the turn of the decade.

References

Read our full review on the 2018 Pininfarina HK GT.

Read our full review on the 2017 Pininfarina H600 Concept.

Read more Geneva Motor Show news.

Read more Pininfarina news.