Lotus Working on Pininfarina Enjoy

Lotus Working on Pininfarina Enjoy
As well as the Renault Fluence concept car, visitors to last weekend's Louis Vuitton Classic at Waddesdon Manor had a chance to admire the Pininfarina Enjoy, being developed in conjunction with Matra and Lotus.

Intended to be "the ultimate car reserved for privileged and passionate drivers with a genuine appreciation of the value of exclusivity and tradition" the Enjoy makes considerable use of Lotus's lightweight construction technology, and it's a very ingeniously constructed affair with all its "structural integrity" contained within the epoxy resin-bonded tub chassis.

This means that, while the Pininfarina-styled carbon fibre bodywork of the prototype is that of an open-to-the-elements road car, with no roof or windscreen, the wings can be removed to transform the Enjoy into an open-wheeled racer.

Matra Automobile Engineering, which was recently bought by Pininfarina, is responsible for chassis and suspension development, and the plan is for the Enjoy to be built there.

Pininfarina hasn't confirmed yet that the Enjoy will definitely go into production, because it's organising other presentations to collectors and enthusiasts around the world. It can't wait too long, though. The whole idea is to build 75 of these cars to celebrate the company's 75th anniversary next year.

Bringing the Enjoy to Waddesdon Manor was quite appropriate, because it has interior detailing by Louis Vuitton as well as a top-rated sound system and intercom by Bang & Olufsen.

Louis Vuitton also created helmets, clothing and footwear to go with the car. The company's interest in cars goes back a long way. Jean and Pierre Vuitton built one themselves in 1907.