2008 Pininfarina Sintesi Concept
Most cars are designed in a fairly similar way. A designer is either given
some goals to achieve (such as creating the general design for a new minivan or crossover within certain parameters), or sketches out a vehicle at their own accord, the sort of thing you hear about being done on napkins in restaurants. From there, the design is transplanted into computer design software, like Autodesk, and then to a scale model made from clay or plastic. The car might see the light of day if it's good enough to become a concept vehicle, and if the public likes the design it just might be produced, if a good enough business case can be made. But that isn't how Pininfarina went about creating its new Sintesi. Actually, they changed up the entire process right from the start.
The thing is, by the time a given vehicle has evolved through the design process, the finished product doesn't always resemble the designer's initial intentions, at least not on the whole. Beside the goals of needing to seat a certain number of passengers and achieving a specific cargo capacity, cars are designed around mechanical constructs, such as engines, gearboxes, chassis architectures, and the list goes on. You can't have car that looks like a Ferrari Enzo if you want the engine up front, as it wouldn't be possible to
incorporate a mass of metal that size with a nose as narrow or slanted. The golden rule of design is that form must follow function... or does it?
The Sintesi was designed as a four-seat sports car – one goal – but that wasn't the main agenda. Pininfarina didn't want to design the body as a simple skin for the engine and the occupants, but rather they wanted the skin to give the mechanical components and the occupant cell a shape. They've called this technique “liquid packaging”, and it's easy to see in the shape of the body, especially the curvature of its profile.
Why the break from tradition? It really depends on who you ask – Pininfarina's engineers or its designers. Ask an engineer and they'll say that liquid packaging is actually good for the driving dynamics of the car. Keeping things low and lean benefits aerodynamics, allowing the car to go faster (and use less fuel), while the overall stance benefits handling
by providing a lower center of gravity. Ask a designer and they'll tell you that liquid packaging allows for a greater percentage of passenger volume when compared to the total volume of the vehicle, without making the car look like a tall hatchback or a bubble on wheels.
The closest thing to the Sintesi in terms of its actual layout would be the Mazda RX-8, though the Italian concept car is definitely the wilder one. To get into the concept, the overlapping side doors open upwards and outwards, like beetle wings, and are unhindered by a central B-pillar. Inside, the Sintesi's cabin is divided up into a T-shape; the center is split down the middle by a console that stretches the full length of the vehicle, while the glowing, translucent honeycomb texture front dashboard section creates the upper part of the T. On the upper ledge of the dash, right by the base of the windshield, the Sintesi features a series of LEDs that are linked up to the car's radar-based collision mitigation system. When a crash is likely without avoidance tactics, the lights flash to warn the driver. Due to large side
windows and a windshield that wraps upwards, there isn't really a need for a panoramic glass roof to create an airy feel in the cabin.
To make a car such as this, with the capability to seat four in comfort and still have cargo space to spare, more is required than just liquid packaging. New powertrain technology certainly helps. The Sintesi doesn't have a conventional internal combustion engine, but rather a fuel cell system. Designers love fuel cells because they practically have free reign over what the car looks like and how the interior comes together, as these mobile electricity production plants are now very compact. The Sintesi takes things to new extremes; using Nuvera's Quadrivium fuel cell system, Pininfarina fit four small fuel cells, one by each wheel of the car. This improves weight balance and increases interior volume. And the Sintesi is powerful – 700+ horsepower powerful. The Sintesi's hydrogen tank is located in the main tunnel of the vehicle, which divides the cabin in half
and frees up luggage space in back, where it might otherwise be integrated.
Last, but not least, the Sintesi concept features a new piece of software technology called Clancast, developed by Reicom. The radio-based technology essentially allows all cars to communicate with each other, sending and receiving information, and not just regarding traffic conditions or accidents on the road ahead, but any info, such as video or internet. This technology would allow the Sintesi to work in a world without traffic lights, yet at the same time it wouldn't impede on the autonomy of the driver.
It's been about three years since Pininfarina developed its last true concept car, and the Sintesi shows that the Italian coachworks company is just as up to date with its engineering and development work as any high volume manufacturer. Although it would be fantastic to see Ferrari or Lamborghini pick up the Sintesi as a future four-door, this is one of those concepts that will probably not make it any further than the show stand.
Specifications (Pininfarina Sintesi Concept):