Pininfarina designs line of water-cooled racing helmets with Roux

Pininfarina of America has unveiled a new line of racing helmets designed in partnership with Florida-based Roux Helmets that will feature an integrated water-cooling system and other novelties packaged inside its lightweight carbon fiber shell.

The two companies debuted the helmets earlier this month at the Performance Racing Industry trade show in Indianapolis. Car and Driver reports the helmets come in styles for open- and closed-cockpit racers, with a total of seven planned ranging from $1,200 to $5,000. Exact pricing is expected in the spring.

They’re intended for Formula 4 to Formula 1 racing and GT racing, respectively. Both styles will feature Roux’s CoolX water-cooling system, which recirculates water kept at 52 degrees from a cooler to keep the driver comfortable. Other features include an integrated water-drinking hose and an audio system with a noise-canceling microphone and speaker pods. They’ll also feature Roux’s Release Equipped System, which the company says enables safety crews to quickly remove the helmet without putting any stress on the driver’s neck during an emergency. Open-cockpit versions will also reportedly have a removable aerodynamic spoiler.

When it’s not designing new racing helmets, Pininfarina is prepping to begin production of the 1,900-horsepower Battista supercar, starting in late 2020, and developing a new skateboard platform upon which to build high-end electric vehicles.

Roux says the new helmet line will launch in October 2020.