Today we have details of a special edition model dubbed the “Spirit”, which is set to go on sale in Europe later this month.
While the current Vertigo.5 makes do with a 4.0-liter V-6 engine based on an Alfa Romeo design, the new Vertigo.5 Spirit picks up a 4.2-liter Maserati engine complete with dry sump lubrication and an available 420 horsepower. All of which means the V-8 powered Vertigo.5 Spirit should easily eclipse the 3.26 second 0-60 mph time of the previous model.
The reason for the blistering acceleration time is not outright power alone but because of extreme weight saving measures as well. The Vertigo features a full carbon fiber honeycomb chassis that weighs only 130 pounds (the entire vehicle has a curb weight of just under 2,200 pounds) and its aerodynamic package has undergone almost 20 years of fine tuning on the race track.
Other details include a new front suspension design with two superposed wishbones, push-rod with shock-absorbers and springs, as well as four-piston brake calipers specially developed by AP Racing.
[Gillet]