The automotive world is in a constant state of change. Electrification is the new norm, with most advancements typically focused on new EVs. But every now and then, a new project pops up that completely disregards the norms … and what if it could have 18 cylinders? Even better!
That’s exactly what the Berlinetta Veloce is all about. It’s a hyper-grand tourer concept by Italian manufacturer Automobili Rodrigues – a relatively unknown name to the American auto industry. It’s a boutique coachbuilder with roots in the Modena school of hammer-formed aluminum bodywork.
Its latest creation is the Berlinetta Veloce, a hypercar that comes with a 7.0-liter naturally aspirated V12 in its basic configuration. You want to step it up a notch? How about a mammoth 9.0-liter, 18-cylinder engine that the company calls the Triangolare 18? Knock yourself out.
Automobili Rodrigues
The base-level V12 is F1-derived. It uses a dry sump configuration, generating well over 900 horsepower, revving all the way up to 10,200 RPM. Then there’s the Triangolare 18 configuration. The word “triangolare,” meaning triangular in Italian, hints at its unique construction.
This 9.0-liter engine completely does away with conventional valvetrain components and is built with forced induction from both turbocharging and supercharging. The end result? About 1,954 lb.ft (2,679 Nm) of peak torque. And in a world of dual-clutch gearboxes, how about a manual? For all the purists out there, you can opt for a manual transmission in either of those engine options.
Automobili Rodrigues
Visually, it carries a coach-built grand tourer profile with sculpted bodywork, lengthy proportions, a sleek roofline, and a tall hood. Automobili Rodrigues says that the Berlinetta Veloce fuses old-world craftsmanship with modern dynamics. It also gets what it calls Next-Gen Cloud Ride proactive suspension control, although in-depth specs are yet to be revealed.
Coming to the cabin, you get custom Italian leather, open-pore woods, hand-brushed metal, custom embroidery, controls milled from solid billets, and hand-knurled switches. Keep in mind that the entire car, inside-out, is completely hand-built, with each car coming with a bespoke commission plate bearing the owner’s name.
With production set to be extremely limited, Automobili Rodrigues’ hypercars usually range between US$5 million and $10 million. I don’t expect the Berlinetta Veloce to be any cheaper than that.
Automobili Rodrigues
But here’s the thing: there’s something about the Berlinetta Veloce that feels less like a car launch and more like stumbling into a fever dream at 3 am. The official material leans hard into old-world coachbuilding romance and ‘automotive art,’ but for all the poetry, there’s a curious absence of grounding.
There’s no clear production history, no verifiable past models in customer hands, and imagery that looks suspiciously like it hasn’t yet met the harsh, unfiltered reality of asphalt and daylight. And that’s where things get… interesting.
Because when a company you’ve never really seen in the wild starts talking about $10-million hyper GTs with experimental engines that would make Koenigsegg pause mid-sentence, it’s worth thinking twice.
Automobili Rodrigues
Maybe it’s all real – a boutique coachbuilder quietly assembling an all-hammered aluminum, ‘artisan-crafted’ hypercar with a 9.0-liter, 18-cylinder, twin-charged, valveless motor. Or maybe it’s automotive vaporware wrapped in the language of legacy and craftsmanship.
Personally, I’ll believe it when I see it.
Source: Automobili Rodrigues
