First look: Pininfarina opens the Birdcage to Geneva

AMONG the several works it had on show at Geneva, the famous Italian design house Pininfarina teamed up with Maserati to produce the Birdcage 75.

Celebrating Pininfarina’s 75th anniversary, and harking back to the Birdcage Tip 63 race car from another era, the semi-transparent Birdcage is based on the road-racing carbon fibre chassis of the Maserati MC12 and is described as a futuristic extension of the Maserati brand with some subtle references to the Tridente’s design heritage.

It also shows the styling direction Maserati could take as it sets out in Fiat’s new division in which its ties are closer to Alfa Romeo than Ferrari.

The Birdcage 75 tries to remain true to race car ideals given it has a 700hp (522kW) 6.0-litre V12 engine, with a streamlined shape including ‘teardrop central volume’ encapsulating the passenger cell and the mechanicals, and a vast inverted wing form that maintains a low profile to aid airflow above and beneath the vehicle.

The interior combines a race car feel with latest-generation communications from Motorola, the latter providing high-level interaction between occupants and the outside world.