Italy’s UP Design has traveled to the Qatar Motor Show to reveal the Vittoria, an eco-friendly sports car. At the time of writing the car is still at the concept stage, but UP Design is considering producing a limited run of it.
The Vittoria (Italian for victory) borrows styling cues from UP’s previous Era and Sofia concepts. However, it was penned entirely in-house, marking a milestone in the Italian design and engineering firm’s short history.
Under the hood is a 4.2 V8 rated at 400 horsepower and 350 lb-ft of torque. It is backed up by an electric motor that puts out the equivalent of 80 horsepower. Unfortunately, no word was given about the engine’s origins, or what kind of batteries the car uses.
A switch on the dashboard allows the driver to select whether the car is operating in full-electric mode, in hybrid mode, or in gasoline mode. The Vittoria can travel up to 18 miles on electricity alone.
Alternatively, the juice stored in the batteries can be transferred to the driving wheels under heavy acceleration to give the car a slight boost.
UP Design says that the only gearbox available will be an automatic unit. Buyers can decide whether it sends power to all four wheels or to just the rear wheels when they order the car.
As is often the case with start-up sports car companies, UP’s founder Umberto Palermo’s next step is to find investors who are interested in funding the project so that it can become a reality. No word was spoken about how much cash is needed, or how much the car will retail for if it is built.
