Icona Vulcano is a Coachbuilt Supercar Made by China-Based Italian Studio [w/Video]

One of the most impressive world premieres at the ongoing Auto China 2013 in Shanghai is the Icona Vulcano, a new and very promising entry in the world of exotic supercars. It was styled by Icona, a European design studio founded in early 2010 that’s permanently based in Shanghai’s Lujiazui district, and made by Cecomp, one of the founding partners of Icona based in Torino, Italy.

While Icona originally stated that the Vulcano is a one-off model, its most recent press release notes, “this car is made as a one-off, no more than five will be built”, which is a contradictory statement…

The person who led the Vulcano design team is young French designer Samuel Chuffart, who previously worked for Nissan and Jaguar-Land Rover.

“When you’re trying to create a feeling of aesthetic harmony, you risk creating too many sweet lines, which decreases the feeling of power,” explained Chuffart. ” On the other hand, if you make too much of the powerful features which are necessary to a super sports car such as its cooling cutouts and blades which manage the air flow, they become graphically too dominant, and this makes the car less beautiful. The way we found the right balance was usually by looking for the greatest simplicity.”

For its motivation, the Vulcano was designed to be offered with two completely different powertrain options. The first is for the Vulcano H-Turismo V12 and employs the use of a 790HP 6.0-liter V12 engine linked to a 160HP electric motor and a six-speed gearbox driving the rear wheels. In this configuration, the hybrid powertrain delivers a maximum output of 950-horses for a claimed 0-100km/h (62mph) sprint in 3.0 seconds, standing 400m acceleration in 9.7 seconds and a top speed of 350km/h (218mph).

The other choice is the H-Competizione that features a 550hp 3.8-liter twin turbocharged V6 engine linked to an electric motor for a total output of 870hp. This model comes with all-wheel drive and is said to go from zero to 100km/h (62mph) in 2.9 seconds, complete the 400m sprint in 9.2 seconds and max out at 350km/h (218mph).

Both powertrains were developed and designed under the direction of Claudio Lombardi, who previously worked as racing director of Lancia’s rally division from 1982 to 1991, powertrain technical director of Ferrari for Formula One and GT cars from 1991 to 2000, and project leader of Aprilia.

The Vulcano measures 4,450mm long, 1,940mm wide, 1,265mm tall, and rides on a 2,698mm wheelbase. The V6 hybrid model tips the scales at 1,595 kg (3,516 pounds) and the V12, 1,635kg (3,605 pounds).

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