Icona Vulcano set for Pebble Beach debut

China has dumped electric power and embraced Yank V8 muscle for the latest installment of its first supercar, the Icona Vulcano.

Developed at Icona of Shanghai, the original Vulcano concept was wheeled out at the motor show of its native city two years ago using a 708kW electric motor/V12 hybrid drivetrain.

For the revised Vulcano Titanium set to be revealed at this Sunday’s Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, Icona has fittingly installed a petrol engine from the States.

A 6.2-litre supercharged V8 is pinched from the Corvette ZR1 and is claimed to produce 500kW and 840Nm.

The mid-front-engined supercar also uses a paddle-shift single-clutch gearbox from Automac Modena in Italy, claiming zero to 60mph in 2.8 seconds onwards to double that speed in 8.8sec.

The newly added Titanium tag references the claim that this latest Vulcano is the first car in the world to be constructed of titanium and carbonfibre.

According to Icona – the Italian designhouse that is now Chinese owned and based in Shanghai – it took over 1000 hours to hand craft the “naked” titanium body.

Only a single side photo of the unpainted version has been released so far, but the Vulcano Titanium appears very similar to the 2013 hybrid concept coated in a fiery hue.

Icona has poached over some big names to work in China on its supercar – former Nissan and Jaguar-Land Rover designer Samuel Chuffart penned the design, while former Scuderia Ferrari director Claudio Lombardi and engineer of the Lancia Integrale and Peugeot T16 racecars Mario Cavagnero worked on the powertrain.

There’s no production announcement yet for China’s first supercar, but according to the company website Icona is hopeful of a transition from concept to showroom in the future.