Is Purosangue a fitting name for Ferrari’s latest car?
The Purosangue is the Italian company’s entry into the luxury SUV segment of the market — although they don’t pitch it that way.
Instead, they have called their new creation, with its naturally-aspirated V-12 engine and bigger, beastier body, the Purosangue, which, in Italian, means pure blood or thoroughbred.
It’s an interesting and perhaps strange choice for a vehicle which Ferrari might not want to describe as an SUV, but which is not really a sports car either.
Purpose Media’s Creative Director, Claudio Davanzo, gives his thoughts on the naming approach.
The name Ferrari is synonymous throughout the world with style and speed. Its sports cars — and their famous prancing horse badge — have been must-have accessories on the drives of the rich and famous for the past 75 years.
But, the company’s first ever four-door four-seater is a departure from its usual, ultra-successful formula and is designed, it says, to meet customers’ demands for high performance and driving excitement but within the comfort of a larger, roomier vehicle.
The Purosangue’s profile and performance do scream prancing horse. Its elegant lines and precision engineering will be welcomed by Ferrari-lovers. But the vehicle’s size, higher ground clearance and forward-opening rear doors mark it out as a major departure for the brand.
The company has taken the DNA of Ferrari but used it to create something new, meaning it cannot be Purosangue or thoroughbred.
Perhaps a more fitting name would have been Anima, which means soul as there’s no doubt that, despite its obvious differences, this stunning creation still captures the essential essence of Ferrari.
During its development, the name Purosangue was used to remind those involved in the project that the car was being born from the Ferrari bloodline. Even now Ferrari is adamant that it should not be referred to as an SUV — even though its size and wedge-shape silhouette suggests that’s exactly what it is.
They describe it ‘unlike any other’, creating ‘a new market segment’ and opening ‘unprecedented new frontiers’. But it is strange then to brand it as pure-blooded when they are so keen to stress it is the first of its kind.
There is no denying that this is a beautiful, brilliantly-designed vehicle but its name appears to have been chosen to persuade the market that, although different, it is still a Ferrari rather than to accurately represent the spirit of their bold, new creation.
Source: Ferrari