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| Marangoni's Range Rover Evoque HFI-R Puts on its Red Shoes |
In keeping with its tradition of showing up at the Bologna Motor Show with an impressive concept, Italian tire manufacturer Marangoni chose this year's edition of the venue to reveal the Range Rover Evoque HFI-R. The first thing that catches your eye as you look at the pictures is the experimental ruby red coloured Marangoni tires – well, for many it will actually be the curvalicious brunette model but that's irrelevant to this story.
Marangoni says that the bespoke “M-Power EvoRed” tires are made from special compounds with high silica content that helps rolling resistance and consequently fuel consumption. The 255/30R20 tires are wrapped around a new set of 20-inch alloy wheels from O.Z. Racing. In addition, the bodywork of the car has been completely repainted in a special satin paint called Titanium Fluid Metal while the roof, the pillars, the door handles and the grille are finished in gloss black.
Other changes on the outside include the redesigned front and rear bumpers, and a carbon fibre aero kit comprising of a front apron, side skirts, wheel arch extensions and a rear diffuser. The same material is also used on the air intakes, the boot handle, all the bottom door guards and the mirror covers that feature small Italian flags.
The Evoque's interior was also revamped with high-quality materials such as leather, Alcantara and carbon with the seats and door panels now featuring a diamond pattern with double red stitching.
Complementing the styling changes is a raft of mechanical upgrades the most important of which concerns the Si4 2.0-liter Turbocharged petrol engine that has been tuned and modified to run on either gasoline, natural gas or alternatively a mixture of hydrogen and natural gas from a separate tank. It delivers an output of 300-horsepower with the two tanks offering a combined cruising range of 1,000 kilometres or 620 miles.
Marangoni says that when using a mixture of hydrogen and natural gas, the system can completely eliminate fine particle emissions and reduce CO2 emissions by the same percentage (up to 30 percent) as the hydrogen contained in the mix.
Other performance mods include a Tarox B360 brake kit with 10-piston calipers and composite disks, with 330x26 diameter brake rotors.
