Pininfarina loves a good concept car, lord knows it's given us enough of them over the years. This year's Geneva show is no exception either, with the debut of the HK GT, the successor to
last year's H600
and the fourth idea spawned in collaboration with the Hong Kong based Hybrid Kinetic Group.
The 2+2 grand tourer is designed to embody "sensuality, power, and elegance" whilst expressing "the driving pleasure that characterizes a high performance Gran Turismo."
To that end the bodywork - which sits somewhere in the realm of
Mercedes-AMG Concept GT
meets Lincoln MKX - sits atop a 20kWh battery and a microturbine range extender allowing for 0-62 in 2.9 seconds, a top speed of 155mph, and an extended range of over 600 miles. HK's torque vectoring system provides selective all-wheel-drive, with each wheel powered by independent electric motors - each with a two-speed transmission - and supported by electronics providing "superior control capability, improved vehicle handling performance and stability." Oh, and there's regenerative braking capability too.
This is no ordinary GT though, no. Instead, the HK GT is bestowed with a 'dual personality' allowing it to be used not just in its 'cruise' mode but in 'race' mode as well. That being described as reserved for "moments of solitary and hedonistic sports driving" which, if you're a PHer, is likely to include every pop to the supermarket for some more milk.
In this 'race' mode, the interior lighting changes from calming blue to aggressive red, a colour described as being "clearly of race origin", the display behind the steering wheel shows only essential technical information, and the large central screen provides updates on sporty things like suspension settings, acceleration and cornering.
What's the point in all this, you ask? These fanciful concepts never come to anything anyway. Well, not so, because the HK GT isn't all Pininfarina has brought to Geneva. Also on its stand is the H2 Speed, a production version of the design which won the concept of the show and of the year awards in 2016.
Said to combine hydrogen fuel-cell technology with racing performance, the track-only H2 Speed is set to enter a 12 car run in partnership with GreenGT. From concept to production the wheelbase has been extended and the bodywork narrowed, although the LMP-evolved carbon-based chassis and carbon brakes have remained. A two-year development and testing programme has resulted in what Pininfarina claims to be a 653hp zero emission vehicle, capable of hitting 62mph in 3.4 seconds before going on to a top speed of 186mph, all while releasing nothing but water vapour into the atmosphere.
The coachbuilder is also keen to point out that, although the fuel-cell powers four electric motors, the rapid refuelling enabled by a hydrogen-based approach has resulted in a down time of just three minutes, considerably faster than the charge period required by any plug-in EV. As for whether the H2 Speed will be able to maintain that speed advantage on the track, we'll have to wait and see.
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