[FEATURED] UP Design Vittoria - a supercoupe which came from the future - AllCarIndex
Brave ideas and talents lead the way to innovations in the world of our days. Let it be technological novelties or new design laguages - the afore-mentioned core elements are the key to success and appreciation. Adding professionalism as the third principle means something special for the startup like UP Design from Turin.
Truth is, that all automotive enthusiasts and even people who are not well familiar with world or cars know Italy as a country where a special designs are born. Keeping in mind that Turin is considered to be a hometown of the leading designs and spectacular automobile forms created by Ghia, Allemano, Bertone, Michelotti or Pininfarina to name a few, a new design studio located in the city of automotive designs captures the attention immediately. It is to some purpose as the man behind the new Turinese company - Umberto Palermo - is anything but a novice in design area. Having 18-year experience in architecture, industrial and automotive design, he was appointed director of Design Center I.DE.A Institute in 2007. After this, the first two significant and eye-catching projects saw the daylight. It was the Era speedster concept shown at Geneva in 2009 and Sofia luxury sedan concept unveiled at Geneva the following year. Finally, in October 2010 Umberto Palermo created his own design house. This is how the UP Design was born.
Taken "Made in Italy" as a slogan, this startup intends to become a state-of-the-art design center "which concentrates his artistic soul on the extreme versatility of concepts and on the acute interpretation of shapes, all this translated into industrial items". The company announced the latest design excercice - the Vittoria supercoupe UP Design was at Bologna Motor Show in 2011. However, it was the Qatar Motor Show, this January, where the first example logoed UP Design was shown in full guise.
Vittoria features a very specific and hardly mistakeable design elements. Its siluet, especially a side view looks very sleek. Flowing lines, starting from muscular rear end creates a shape of windshield and sophisticated doors which are extended well into the front wings. That is emphasized giving the car a two-
tone paiting which looks pretty well and tasteful. A rear side of UP Design's first car is pointed by rear lights and stop light which are combined into a single integral unit. A look from a front shows a rounded and pushed back cabine. This is because the Vittoria features a very long bonnet. Overall look of this concept supercoupe is striking and the only drawback of the whole design is the vents in the rear and front. Misproportioned oblong openings may be exhaust pipes on the rear, but what are those strange things doing in front remains a mystery.
Umberto Palermo's latest creation is powered by a hybrid aggregate consisting of front longitudinally mounted V8 engine developing 400 hp and a permanent magnet electric motor capable of 80 hp. The car is equipped with an automatic transmission as well as intelligent management of the hybrid drive system and brake energy recovery. Vittoria is said to good for a top speed of 315 km/h.
For this moment, UP Design's first own automobile remains a concept, but the company doesn't hide their plans to initiate a very limited and highly exclusive production of this model. Even if this never happens it is obvious that brave ideas, talent and professionalism of Umberto Palermo and his team will be embodied in the new innovative creations which will lead the way towards our nearest future of automobile. That is because it is Made in Italy.
Pictures: UP Design
