Bertone ZR1 MANTIDE Interior Look

As we reported toward the end of last week, Stile Bertone has pulled the wraps off their latest creation, the ZR1 MANTIDE. Using the platform of the 2009 Corvette ZR1, the Italian design house has managed to create a one-off sports car, using a combination of design lines drawn from both the aerospace industry and Formula 1.

Today, thanks to a coverage by The Italian Junkyard via jalopnik.com, we found out that Bertone has presented the vehicle at the Balloco Fiat Proving Ground in Italy. The car, along with its entire 638 horsepower developed by its engine got thus its first on the track photo-shoot.

As we previously reported, the Corvette ZR1 basis for the MANTIDE, together with the unconventional body used by Castriota and with the help of the LS9 V8 engine propels the car from naught to sixty in 3.2 seconds and tops at 351 km/hour (217mph). What was missing up until now was a clearer picture of the MANTIDE's interior.

Thanks to the aforementioned sources, that picture is now complete with the photo showcasing the inside of the MANTIDE. Some of you might have expected some sort of luxurious interior, to match the extravagant looks of the car. If that's the case, you might be in for a disappointment.

Mind you this though... It is a sports car. The type you race around the track in. Not a limo, not an SUV. This means that in a race car, all that you need is related to the car's on-track goals and not to please anyone. Still, Bertone's use of alcantara leather comes to soften up a bit the rough, rugged look of the interior.

Designed by former Pininfarina designer Jason Castriota, the ZR1 MANTIDE  was showcased at the 2009 Shanghai Auto Show, in China.