Sensuale
All of us drew in our notebooks at school, crafting and designing that perfect, wind-cheating, sleek, sexy, powerful sports car of our dreams. The machine that would set us apart from mere
mortals. The machine that when you pulled to the curb, no one could take their eyes off of it.
But then the bell would ring and we’d go on to other things.
Not so for Nick Soprano. He kept on drawing, right through grade school, into high school, and on to college. All the while, the image of his dream car continued to evolve, taking inspiration from racing cars of the 60s. The organic shapes and the purposeful lines were speaking to him.
After graduation Nick started his own business, Motor Classic & Competition, buying, selling and restoring an array of European sports, racing and GT cars. He also spent a great deal of time on the track, piloting some of the great cars from the golden age of motorsport. A Ferrari short wheelbase 250 SEFAC hot rod, a Ferrari TDF, a Cobra Daytona coupe, and a Ford GT 40.
These all added fuel to the burning fire that was Soprano. He needed to bring those drawings he had been doing all those years to life. Starting out, he was told by several designers that the lines he wanted were impossible. The computers were saying they were mathematically
incorrect.
This was not the direction Soprano wanted to take. The computer was set aside and he laid his hands on the clay, model-shaping the Sensuale by touch, not digital algorithm. Creating the shapes he had carried so long in his mind.
A chassis builder was given the parameters to build a rigid oval tube chassis, with a fully adjustable Heim jointed suspension. The heart of the car was always going to be Italian, so a Ferrari V12, 4.4 liter engine with triple Webers putting out 340hp was used. It was mated to a 5 speed ZF transaxle by a torque tube. With a 94 inch wheelbase with Spun aluminum17X9 wire wheels in front and 17X11 wheels in the rear, the skeletal system was in place.
Soprano could see the organic body shape in his mind’s eye. He wanted the car to be optically and emotionally inspired, not mathematically correct. Working with a very talented sculptor and driving him crazy over the gestation period, those images became 3-D. Multiple spray outs finally provided the optimal color for the prototype’s hand formed aluminum skin.
Opening the butterfly door, you land in an interior reminiscent of those 60s road-race and GT cars that filled Soprano’s consciousness. A black crackle finish dash house, a traditional layout of Veglia gauges. Mixed with the leather seats and wood rimmed steering wheel, you’re in a functional, no-nonsense traditional Grand touring environment.
The engine comes to life with a proper Ferrari snarl, not the neutered purr of modern cars. The tall shift lever is just where it needs to be to allow for quick shifts with a minimum of time away from the steering wheel.
The Sensuale exudes a powerful, purpose-built aura. With its near perfect weight distribution of 49% front and 51% rear, it has a very neutral and planted feel to it.
Behind the wheel it has that feel of a road car bred for the track, but unlike its older counterparts the Sensuale is not high-strung and twitchy. With power-assisted rack and pinion steering you don’t get the upper body workout you get with a 60s GT car; with more rubber on the road there is plenty of grip. Unlike modern cars there are no electro-minders. The idea of the Sensuale is to engage you, for you to be in the moment. To really enjoy the sensual experience of driving. It’s like having a 330 P4 for the road.
Soprano’s creation is one of a kind: hopefully there will be more.
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