Karmic Collaboration

A veteran coachbuilder pairs up with young automaker Karma on a dreamy new concept car.

AS WITH SIGMUND FREUD and Carl Jung, Christian Dior and Yves Saint Laurent or Steve Jobs and Mark Zuckerberg, the relationship between mentor and protege can forge a creative juggernaut. And while it’s too soon to tell, the automotive industry may be on the cusp of its own influential duo as evidenced by the Pininfarina-designed Karma GT.

Briefly glimpsed at the 2019 Auto Shanghai motor show, the car was hidden away in China for months until Robb Report was invited to have the first Stateside look. Pininfarina (www.pininfarina.it), Italy’s 89-yearold coachbuilder and design house, and Southern California’s four-year-old Karma Automotive (www. karmaautomotive.com) gave us exclusive access to the only prototype in existence before it appeared on the concept lawn at Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance. Built off the 2020 Karma Revero GT four-door, this gran turismo retains the original frame but has been transformed by Pininfarina with a new aluminium body – one that’s even more dynamic in form.