Automobili Mignatta Rina: Carbon-Tubbed V8 Speedster Built for Purity

A windscreen-less, carbon-tubbed speedster with a manual gearbox and a free-breathing V8. Just 30 will be built each year in the hills of Piedmont.

Remember the De Tomaso Pantera? Of course you do. Italian design, American V8 muscle, and a rear wing lifted straight off a Lamborghini Countach. Now there’s a new chapter in that same Italian–American tradition: the Rina – a windscreen-less speedster from newcomer Automobili Mignatta, complete with an American heart paired to a traditional H-pattern manual gearbox.

Revealed this week in Piedmont, the Rina is limited to 30 hand-built units per year. The bodywork is shaped entirely in carbon fibre and channels 1960s design cues through 2020s materials. It’s draped over a new carbon monocoque – dubbed “JM-SM” – developed by composite specialists JM Srls. Despite weighing just 71kg, it boasts torsional rigidity figures over 100,000Nm/deg.

Chief Engineer Andrea Chiumello says the monocoque is the result of using “Advanced virtual simulations, and of a smart use of carbon fibre and lamination techniques. The construction also benefits from an optimal use of filling materials, like foams and honeycombs, capable of ensuring a minimum overall weight.” Another benefit is flexibility – Automobili Mignatta claims the design can be easily adapted to incorporate alternative layouts.

Under the long front clamshell sits a front-mid-mounted, naturally aspirated 5.0-litre V8, paired with a six-speed manual transaxle and limited-slip differential. Official figures are still to come, but Italtecnica Engineering – who also worked on the Nardone 928 and Kimera EVO37 – is said to have fettled the intake and exhaust. The smart money suggests a Ford Coyote as the base engine, lifted from the Mustang, with an estimated 450bhp on tap.

At under 1,000kg dry, the Rina’s performance-to-weight should be lively. There are no drive modes, no traction maps, and no active aero. Instead, the Rina relies on natural balance, thanks to getting the fundamentals right through old-school mechanical engineering. Adjustable coilovers feature, as does a staggered 19/20-inch Pirelli Trofeo RS setup and Brembo brakes (carbon-ceramic optional). 

As expected, the cockpit follows the minimalist ethos: a tachometer sits behind the wheel, the speedo lives on the console, and the seats are bolted to the tub. Trim includes aluminium, exposed carbon weave and Italian-tanned leather from local hides. Each build is customisable, but behind every Rina is the philosophy: keep only what matters, and make it beautiful.

Design-wise, the Rina is “inspired by Italian automotive masterpieces of the Sixties”. It borrows nothing directly, yet there are clear homages to everything from the Alfa 33 Stradale to the 8C Competizione. Visually dramatic and proportionally lean, it looks every inch the 21st century Mille Miglia entrant. Homologation is already underway in partnership with TÜV Rheinland, with the first crash-test chassis imminent. Series production will take place in Valfenera d’Asti. While pricing is yet to be confirmed, the “if you have to ask” rule will likely apply.