Puritalia Resurfaces in Geneva with the Massively Powerful 2020 Puritalia Berlinetta Hybrid

Big auto shows like the Geneva Motor Show are mostly about popular passenger cars, SUVs, and high-performance supercars, but they also include cool vehicles from smaller and sometimes unknown companies. One such example is the Puritalia Berlinetta, which came to Geneva to showcase a 900+ horsepower hybrid drivetrain and carbon-aluminum construction.

Where's Is Pureitalia Coming From?

Don't worry if you haven't heard about Puritalia before. This is a very small company from Naples, Italy that was founded only a few years ago. Puritalia unveiled its first production model in late 2014. It's called the 427, and it's a modern interpretation of the iconic Shelby Cobra. The roadster borrowed design features from the American icon and featured a Ford-sourced, 5.0-liter, V-8 rated at up to 605 horsepower and 472 pound-feet of torque.

Not much is known about the vehicle that was supposed to be produced in 427 units, but Puritalia just announced a brand-new model.

Meet the 2020 Puritalia Berlinetta Hybrid

With an iconic name made famous by Ferrari decades ago, the Berlinetta is a two-door grand tourer that shares some design cues with the 427. The front fascia is heavily inspired by the roadster, so it still looks a bit like the Shelby Cobra, but it definitely looks more modern that Shelby Carroll's V-8-powered masterpiece.

Up front, the headlamps are swept back toward the fenders, while the massive center grille is flanked by side vents with honeycomb grilles. These outlets also incorporate LED bars that act like daytime running lights. Just like the 427, the Puritalia has a muscular hood with a raised center section and a big vent, a tribute to supercharged V-8 cars from the 1960s.

But the similarities to the 427 end here, as the car's profile is of the modern variety. The door handles are accessible through small vents placed in the rear fenders.

Around back, the Berlinetta is as modern as 21st grand tourers get. There's a clean fascia with "Puritalia" lettering, an integrated spoiler, and vertical taillights that extend over the upper corners of the rear fenders. The split diffuser in the bumper incorporates two more exhaust pipes, despite the fact that the side skirts also include similar outlets. Definitely an awkward but unique choice.

The 2020 Puritalia Berlinetta has a Modern Cabin

While the 427's interior was heavily based on the original Shelby Cobra, and thus it was rather spartan looking, the Berlinetta is on par with what you can find in modern and luxurious grand tourers. The first thing that catches the eye is the massive, tablet-like display that occupies most of the center stack. The instrument cluster is also fully digital and seems just as big as the units you can find in modern and expensive BMW and Mercedes-Benz cars. Puritalia says the vehicle's systems are fully connected and you can operate many functions remotely from a smartphone.

There's leather on the lower dashboard and door panels too, while most of the center stack and center console are made from carbon-fiber. Again, this is a massive departure from the Puritalia 427 and puts the Berlinetta in line with grand tourers like the Ferrari 812 Superfast and Aston Martin DB11.

The 2020 Puritalia Berlinetta has Big hybrid power

The Berlinetta is a modern vehicle when it comes to its powertrain too. While the 427 was an old-school muscle car with a 5.0-liter V-8 under the hood, the Berlinetta combines the Ford-sourced engine with an electric motor from British company Yasa. The V-8 engine used in the 427 was revised and now delivers 730 horsepower, an extra 125 horses compared to the roadster. The electric motor adds an extra 212 horses and 272 pound-feet of torque.

Total output sits at an impressive 951 horsepower and 920 pound-feet of twist, which places the Berlinetta in a very select league of hypercars that include vehicles from prestigious companies like Ferrari, Porsche, Bugatti, and Koenigsegg. An eMozione switch provides additional oomph from the electric motor for 45 seconds, so the Berlinetta provides close to 1,000 horsepower when needed.

A seven-speed transmission routes all that power to the wheels and pushes the grand tourer from 0 to 62 mph in only 2.7 seconds. That's just as quick as the McLaren Senna and only a tenth-second slower than the Bugatti Chiron.

You can also drive the Berlinetta on battery power only, but like all other hybrid supercars out there, range isn't great. In this case, the coupe runs out of juice after only 20 km (around 12.4 miles).

2020 Pureitalia Berlinetta Pricing and Production

The Berlinetta is notably more expensive than the 427, which isn't surprising given the more modern design, the carbon-fiber tub, all the tech, and the hybrid powertrain. While the roadster retailed from €180,000 back in 2015, the Berlinetta starts from a whopping €553,350, which converts to around $620,900 as of March 2019. Production will be limited to only 150 units.