Retired Brazilian Formula One legend Emerson Fittipaldi last week gave motor sport fans more than just a sneak preview of his new EF7 - a German-engineered and Italian-designed super car.
The 1000-kilo car was unveiled at the hugely popular Qatar Motor Show where the 70-year-old talked about his journey from a teen in Brazil to producing what many consider a stunningly fast car.
"It's fast. It's the safest car and it is designed like a shark," Fittipaldi, who won 14 Grands Prix in an F1 career that lasted until 1980, told The Peninsula in an exclusive chat.
"You look at the car and see what a beautiful product this is," the retired two-time F1 champion added.
"In the water, shark is very aerodynamic. You look at the nose of the car and the body - it looks a lot like the shark," the Brazilian said.
Following are the excerpts from a detailed chat with Fittipaldi who will visit Doha again later this year for a demonstration drive.
Q: How did you come to fulfilling this dream of yours?
A: When I left Brazil - I had to two dreams: one, to be a Formula One driver and second, to build a GT car. I didn't get the time to build a GT car when I went to England when I was very young. I started the go-karting factory in Brazil. I was only 15 years old and I was building go-karts. Then I did a prototype a Fittipaldi Porsche in Brazil. That was very fast at the time and it was a beautiful car. When I went to Europe to be a Grand Prix driver, I achieved my dream. I always wanted to make a GT car. It took a long time and I went to Germany. I asked my friends there if they could help me build my own GT car here. They said they could and that was a big surprise to me that they could do it for me. The German engineering is very evident in the car. I went to Paolo Pininfarina (the Italian coach-builder responsible for iconic Ferraris such as the 275GTB, F40 and Enzo) to seek his help. This is the first car they designed after Ferrari. So my car is German engineering and has Italian design - the concept of the car, the wheel-base, the cockpit, the weight distribution is very similar to Ferrari 458. From all the cars I drove, this was the most fun to drive. I drove the Porsche, the Lamborghinis, the Aston Martins - all their race cars. But the Ferrari was the most fun to drive.
Q: How is this different from a Ferrari race car?
A: This is a much lighter car. It is all carbon fiber. The 458 car is not an all carbon fiber car. It is extremely safe to drive. I asked the Germans for the lightest and the safest GT car. It was a challenge for them but we achieved that very well. I can say this is in fact the safest car.
Q: From the time you conceived this idea to the completion of the car, how long did it take?
A: I started 5 years ago with this idea. I told myself that this is the time to do it considering my (70 years) age. I wanted to do it. I was going to do it in Brazil. But I decided to go to Europe instead. By the time I agreed with HWA and Pininfarina, it took us two years. But I have had to sacrifice a lot for this to materialise. I was away from my family a lot. I was in Sttutgart and Turin all the time. I called my team the "dream team". To make a car like this, I had to have a "dream team". The Germans were very enthusiastic and the Italians were geniuses.
Q: What has been the response to this from the fans and the public in general?
A: Fantastic response. In Geneva Motor Show, we topped the headlines. The BBC nominated this in the top 5 in the whole show. There was more than 120 new cars and we were in the top 5. There was a big article in American magazine "Auto Week". We got a mention in the French media - print and television. We got a fantastic response. I have to say Pininfarina did an incredible job. His product is beautiful. This is more than what I expected from him. When I first contacted Pininfarina, I told him my inspiration for this design is the animal I most like is the shark. In the water, shark is very aerodynamic. You look at the nose of the car and the body - it looks a lot like the shark. They achieved what I wanted from this dream of mine. I am very happy. They did a fantastic job.
