GENEVA MOTOR SHOW: Pininfarina Sergio

Ferrari’s 458 Spider is such a sublime piece of design it almost seems sacrilegious to tamper with its gorgeous bodywork.

However, if anyone were to rebody the car, you’d probably want it to be Pininfarina, which has crafted a cavalcade of masterpieces since its inception in 1930.

The Italian styling house used the Geneva motor show to unveil the Sergio (named after the company’s founder, who died last year), a 458 Spider-based barchetta that seems inspired by the type of sportsters you’d see in a Speed Racer cartoon.

Among the Sergio’s offbeat design elements is the lack of a windscreen, as Pininfarina has reworked the car’s frontal aerodynamics such that air is channelled over the heads of the occupants to create a turbulence-free cabin.

Another clever trick is the use of a wing in the front bumper to offset the aero load on the front axle that’s lost due to the lack of the windscreen.

The central rear-view mirror that’s perched directly ahead of the cabin has also been profiled to channel air away from the occupants, while the rear rollbar functions as a downforce-generating wing.

But arguably the piece de resistance is the pair of custom-made helmets stashed in a compartment in the cabin. These have to be worn by the occupants in the absence of the windscreen.

The razor-edged roadster is radically styled, to say the least, but the end result isn’t unattractive. It’s also claimed to be 150kg lighter than the 458 Spider it’s derived from (it tips the scales at a lithe 1280kg), as well as having a stiffer bodyshell.

Its maker claims a sub-3.4-second 0-100km/h sprint and pin-sharp dynamics, which doesn’t seem all that far-fetched given that the donor car is already at the top of the pile in its segment.

The Sergio’s two-tone bodywork is complemented by 21-inch gold-painted one-stud wheels and LED lights front and rear. The engine cover is perforated with round holes, which is a Pininfarina trademark.

The interior layout is as per the 458 Spider, but the design study gains new seats and a custom-made dashboard top (with the rear-view mirror perched on it).

Explaining the inspiration behind the car, Pininfarina design director Fabio Filippini said: “We were motivated by the spirit of Pininfarina’s best sports cars, Ferraris of the ’60s and ’70s designed under the leadership of Sergio Pininfarina. In particular, the Dino Berlinetta Speciale of 1965, the Ferrari 250 LM, the P5, the Modulo, and the Mythos.”

Although the concept appears pure flight of fancy, its maker claims “it is a real car that can easily be produced in limited series of a few units.”

Any takers?