Zagato Perana set to put the bite on Geneva show

January's Detroit motor show may have been a somewhat sombre affair conducted under a pall of financial gloom, but the upcoming Geneva show promises to be a breath of fresh air, with an array of exotica (Rolls-Royce 200EX -- more here, Maserati GranTurismo S Automatic -- more here) and hot-hatches (VW Golf GTI -- more here, Alfa Romeo MiTo GTA -- more here) waiting in the wings.

Also guaranteed much exposure is this striking coupe, crafted by the stylists at illustrious Milanese design studio Zagato.

Dubbed the Perana Z-One, the V8-propelled two-door has been jointly created with South Africa's Perana Performance Group (hence the name) and plans are afoot to allegedly build and sell 999 examples.

Not too much has been revealed in the way of technical nitty-gritty, but what we do know is that the car's propulsion comes from a General Motors-sourced 6.2-litre LS3 V8, and said motor has been tweaked to crank out at least 320kW, according to overseas reports.

A sub-four-second 0-100km/h split is being claimed, which would put the Perana Z-One in the league of the Nissan GT-R and Porsche 911 Turbo.

Pricing remains unclear at this point as some sources suggest it could be as low as 50,000 euros (just under $100k), while others suggest it's more likely to be around 90,000 euros (about $180k).

Visually, the Perana Z-One embodies the classic long-snout-short-tail proportions that Zagato is renowned for, and its overall design language is a mixture of old and new.

The protruding mouth harks back to the 1950s and '60s, while the flanks have more than a hint of Ferrari 612 about them. Throw in a few Aston Martin/Shelby Cobra-esque cues and you have the recipe for a either a classic sports car, or a hopelessly derivative concept.

We'll stick our necks out and suggest it actually looks quite good, but the acid test will come when we see it in the metal in early March.

The Zagato design studio has a long and chequered history, having been established at the end of WW1 by Udo Zagato, who applied aircraft industry construction techniques to the expanding auto industry.

Zagato's cars became synonymous with light weight and excellent aerodynamics, and Alfa Romeo, Fiat and Lancia quickly realised the advantages of his streamlined designs. A collaboration followed which saw the creation of a series of legendary racing cars, such as the Alfa Romeo 1500, then the 1750 Gran Sport, and the 2300 8C.

Zagato went on to create several cars for Maserati, Alfa Romeo, Fiat, Lancia, Abarth, Ferrari, and Aston Martin -- and the company has also built one-offs and prototypes for the likes of Ford, Jaguar, MG, Rover, Volvo, Bristol, and Rolls-Royce.