Founded in 1983 by racing car driver and engineer Fulvio Maria Ballabio, Montecarlo Automobile is Monaco’s first carmaker, although it is less known than Venturi, the Principality’s other sports car manufacturer.
To celebrate its 30th anniversary this year, Montecarlo Automobile has unveiled the Rascasse, a supercar with a removable roof panel that will be built in a limited run of 15 units, each priced from approximately €500,000 or about US$660,000 at today’s exchange rates.
Named after the famous Monte Carlo circuit corner, the Rascasse is a supercar that runs both on gasoline and hydrogen-enriched LPG. The mid-mounted engine is a BMW-sourced 5.4-liter V12 that was also used by the 1998 Rolls Royce Silver Seraph. However, on the Rascasse the powerplant develops 500 horsepower, 174hp more than on the Rolls-Royce, thanks to a series of upgrades.
As reported by Italy’s Ansa, to make it run both on gasoline and hydrogen enriched LPG, Montecarlo Automobile has benefitted from the expertise of Italian LPG specialist BRC. The Monaco-based carmaker also has plans for a more powerful version of the Rascasse that will use a hybrid system, supercharging and all-wheel drive.
On the design front, if you ask me, the Rascasse looks like a combination between a Ferrari F50 (front), Lamborghini Aventador (side) and a… yacht, as the interior is decorated with lots of wood trim inspired by luxury speedboats, but feel free to tell us what you think about it in the comments below.
By Dan Mihalascu
Story References: Ansa
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