Pininfarina to introduce Rolls Royce Hyperion concept at Pebble Beach

TURIN, Italy — Images of the Pininfarina coach-building firm's latest concept have been revealed days ahead of the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance where it will make its public debut. The Hyperion concept is based on the Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead Coupe and is inspired by "the great motorcars of the past." The news comes on the heels of the iconic company's loss of its chairman and CEO, Andrea Pininfarina, who was killed in a road accident on August 7.

This week, the firm's board of directors unanimously named Andrea's brother, Paolo, to succeed him as chairman. In a statement issued on Tuesday, Paolo Pininfarina lauded his late brother's "values of integrity, humility and loyalty" and "reserved demeanor of a man focused on results" and vowed to follow his "high example."

The high example they are speaking of is evident in the lines of the Hyperion, which offers visual entertainment by dropping the driving position and moving the windscreen back by 15.7 inches to make the Rolls into a "wild two-seater." Among the unusual amenities are a storage area in front of the windscreen for storage of "specially built sporting guns" and an internal watch made by Girard-Perregaux based on the Tourbillon Vintage 1945 timepiece. The watch face is designed so it can be taken off its bracelet and clipped into the center of the dashboard.

The Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance will be held this Sunday, August 17.