From road to track, the Picasso 660LMS is getting ready to race. The only Swiss supercar manufacturer, which presented its first car in 2022, is launching a racing version to take on a new adventure. Picasso's research and development department is currently designing the LMS race car, which is due to take to the track at the start of next year. Company founder Stefano Picasso, the driving force behind the racing project, said: “The first part of my life was spent as a competitor in sports, so I like challenges and this is certainly one of those! But in fact there's not too much work to do, as the road car was already born as an extreme machine. We need to adapt it to the safety rules that are in place for competition, and we're also working on lightness: we're going to save 20% on weight with a new monocoque, which is an evolution that starts with what we have done on the road car. At the same time, rigidity improves by 24%. Other developments include improved kinematics. The engine will remain unchanged though, as it's already a model of efficiency and performance.”
The development doesn't stop with the racing car. Picasso added: “Racing means adrenaline and entertainment, but above all it's an opportunity for both personal and technological growth. This project will enable us to know the car better and reach new levels of development.” As a result, some of the evolutions that are being defined for GT racing will also end up on the road car, especially the carbon fibre monocoque. Motorsport is the ideal environment for carmakers to try out and test new cutting-edge ideas; the same applies to Pirelli that has used competition as an open-air laboratory for tyres since 1907.
These improvements will help to refine a package of technologies that's already at a high level. Weighing in at just 980 kilograms, the 660 LMS road car is built around a carbon fibre and composite monocoque chassis, giving it the structural rigidity similar to a real race car. There's carbon fibre everywhere, from the internal trims that evoke the spirit of competition without compromising comfort, to the multifunction steering wheel that sits ahead of the paddle gearshift. There's a six-speed sequential transmission, and the car is rear-wheel drive. The aluminium engine is mounted at the rear and powers the Picasso to a top speed of 315kph. At this speed, the advanced aerodynamics of the 660LMS generate an astonishing downforce load of 960 kilograms: once more similar to what you find in motorsport.
The car's racing debut with its factory team is scheduled for 2024. Pirelli will be there too; as well as equipping the 660 LMS road car with semi-slick P Zero Trofeo R covers, the Italian firm will also supply the Swiss supercar's racing programme. The same ethos runs through both machines: the love of competition and the search for new heights of technology.
