Brazilian racing driver Emerson Fittipaldi, a two-time Formula One world champion, unveiled a track-focused supercar during last month’s 2017 Geneva auto show.
Called the Fittipaldi EF7 Vision Gran Turismo by Pininfarina, the car isn’t a vanity project never to be seen again but rather a production-bound model to be sold by Fittipaldi’s new supercar marque Fittipaldi Motors, based in Coral Gables, Florida. The location is where Fittipaldi and his family reside.
The production version will be called the Fittipaldi EF7 GTR and just 39 examples are planned, one for each of Fittipaldi's Grand Prix victories. Fittipaldi expects most of the cars to end up in the United States, even though it’s not street legal here. Speaking with Automotive News (subscription required), Fittipaldi said his company is exploring the possibility of making the cars street legal. One option would be selling them as kit cars, a strategy rival supercar marque Scuderia Cameron Glickenhaus is undertaking.
Emerson Fittipaldi
Fittipaldi has plans for more cars but isn’t rushing things. A Fittipaldi Motors spokesperson told Automotive News that sales will be handled directly by the company as there are no plans for dealers just yet.
The EF7 GTR weighs just 2,200 pounds and features a 4.8-liter V-8 tuned to deliver 600 horsepower. The car was designed by Pininfarina and is said to feature a shape inspired by a shark. Meanwhile, the mechanicals were developed in partnership with HWA, a German motorsport company with close links to Mercedes-Benz. HWA was started by the founder of AMG and runs Mercedes’ DTM program.
The first EF7 GTRs will be delivered next spring. The starting price is $1.5 million, and for that sum you not only get the keys to the car but also personal driving instruction from Fittipaldi himself. In addition, buyers will be eligible to join the Fittipaldi Racing Club which will offer VIP high-performance driving and racing experiences at tracks around the world, a bit like the Corse Clienti program offered by Ferrari.
