I remember that most of my early experiences with the automotive side of YouTube involved spotters bringing the world a real-life take on the latest supercars. It’s been well over a decade since then: Ferrari is now gearing up for the launch of its first SUV and, before spotters can get to it, an independent artist has rendered the 2023 Purosangue in painstaking detail—we’ve all seen many pieces of the sort over the past few years, but this walkaround video-style work has to be the sharpest.
With the Purosangue expected to launch later this year, prototypes hiding the final design under heavy cladding have been around for quite a while—these joined the Maserati Levante-bodied test mules—and this rendering is based on what those test cars allow us to see.
After all, you can only hide certain aspects (i.e., the silhouette or overall dimensions) up to a point and you’ll find a spy video showing such a tester at the bottom of the story (lens tip to car spotter Varryx for capturing the vehicle over in Maranello).
Returning to the rendering, which the artist clearly marks as a fictional piece, this portrays the machine in front of a dealership, perhaps somewhere in the UK—the level of detail is amazing, with 2NCS, the label behind the stunt, even portraying the supposed camera guy, who is reflected in the dealership window.
The front end of this 3D Prancing Horse relies heavily on the F8 Tributo styling and while the rear appears a bit busy (both in terms of the taillight area and the bumper), the latter also sticks to the contemporary design language of the Italian automaker.
Ferrari Utility Vehicle: more lifted GT, less SUV
As dictated by the said real-world test vehicles, the silhouette of the vehicle isn’t as vertically-bulky as that of a traditional SUV, with the Purosangue appearing even sleeker than its main rival, the Lamborghini Urus.
Come to think of it, the machine reminds one of , a lifter and taller Ferrari FF/GTC4Lusso. And, having had the pleasure to drive the former up the uber-demanding Jebel Hafeet Mountain Road in the United Arab Emirates, I’m expecting the Ferrari utility vehicle to perform closer to its retired family-friendly sibling rather than to performance SUVs from Lamborghini or Aston Martin.
In other words, my guess is that the Purosangue, which stands for “thoroughbred” in the machine’s native language, will be more of a jacked-up grand tourer than anything else, especially since it rides on a next-gen platform its maker dubs Front Mid Engine Architecture, which has been confirmed to come with a transaxle.
That sitting-at-the-back gearbox is one part of the tech package, with the other being represented by a host of engines that should range from the impressive (albeit not on the aural level) 3.0L twin-turbo V6 introduced on the 296 GTB aided by electric power, to a twin-turbo V8 and a N/A V12, with the latter also expected to feature electron juice assistance.
Back in 2019, Ferrari (NYSE:RACE) decided to forego its traditional annual sales cap of 10,000 units, but the health crisis and chip shortage saw the automaker’s 2020 sales falling from the previous year’s 10,131 vehicles to 9,119 cars. Well, the arrival of the Purosangue could see Maranello’s sales figures jump past the 15,000 mark, while boosting the value of the company’s shares.
