Let’s face it. Gone are the days when hybrids are considered uncool. Today, you’ve got hybrid tech in everything from grand-prix race cars to some of the fastest supercars and hypercars in the world. But for a rebellious few out there, who were never onboard with the idea of adding complexity and felt that much (not all) of the supercar industry had lost the plot somewhere, Italy’s motor valley has once again delivered something with nothing but the basics. No electrification here: a mid-engine V12, manual transmission, and rear wheel drive.
Meet the Giamaro Katla. Conceived by a father-son duo: Giacomo and Pierfrancesco Commendatore, in Modena, Italy’s latest supercar really is the stuff of dreams in the modern age. You’ve got all the hallmarks of an Italian exotic: timeless low-slung mid-ship style, gull-wing doors, sleek LED DRLs, aero elements like a massive diffuser and deployable rear wing, that doubles as an air brake. Combine that with an aviation-inspired cockpit, featuring carbon-fiber, milled aluminium, and digital displays, and you have a comprehensive package.
But by far, the showstopper of the Giamaro Katla is what’s under the skin. An all-aluminium 7.0-liter V12 with a 120-degree Hot-Vee layout that sounds the part and houses four turbochargers between the banks. Developed in-house, it features gear-driven cams and dry sump lubrication. Each turbo feeds three cylinders, which should provide blistering throttle response. Total power output: 2,127 horsepower and 1,481 pound-feet of torque, all of which are sent to the rear wheels through a 7-speed manual transmission.
But depending on which one of the three keys you have in the ignition, the power output ranges from 800 horsepower, 1647 horsepower, or the full-sen 2,127 horsepower. The chassis is a featherweight carbon-fiber monocoque with the car’s total curb weight at just shy of 3,200 pounds, and a 42:52 weight distribution.
In a Motor1 exclusive, founder Giacomo Commendatore said, “We tried to give our car a specific identity, and create a deep connection between driver and machine.” Son Pierfrancesco, added. “Emotion is the key to it all.”
Giamaro Automobili has some of the most influential personalities from the Italian supercar scene working on the Giamaro Katla project. Loris Bicocchi, an engineer who has previously worked on world-famous models like the Countach, Diablo, the Zonda, and Veyron, is playing a key role in everything from fine-tuning the Katla’s double-wishbone CNC-milled suspension to testing the prototype with the optional 11-speed dual-clutch transmission.
In an era of hybridization and electrification, the Katla is one of the few outliers to defy electrification. No word on pricing yet, but given the growing appetite amongst enthusiasts and collectors for analog manual V12 exotics, a market with enough demand certainly exists. The boutique automaker plans to build 30 units per year at its upcoming facility in Astel Franco Emilia. The Katla will be followed up by a high-riding two-door model dubbed the Albor.
Source: Giamaro Automobili
