How closely related is the Class 390 (Pendolino) with the Italian ETR 470 and its siblings elsewhere?

[USRailFan]

The most common Pendolino is the Italian ETR 470, which apart from Italy is also used in Switzerland (Cisalpino), Spain, Portugal, Slovenia, the Czech Republic and Finland. How related are the British Class 390s to the Italian original? Is it only the tilting equipment, and nothing else?

 

[Bletchleyite]

The most common Pendolino is the Italian ETR 470, which apart from Italy is also used in Switzerland (Cisalpino), Portugal, Slovenia, the Czech Republic and Finland. How related are the British Class 390s to the Italian original? Is it only the tilting equipment, and nothing else?

The body is related too - hence the small windows.

Edit: the ETR470 is quite boxy, but the ETR610 (New Pendolino) does seem to be a vertically and (a bit) horizontally stretched 390 with a bigger nose, pretty much.

 

[superjohn]

I’ve never been on an ETR470 but the ETR610 in Swiss form certainly seemed very familiar in the interior.

 

[themiller]

The most common Pendolino is the Italian ETR 470, which apart from Italy is also used in Switzerland (Cisalpino), Spain, Portugal, Slovenia, the Czech Republic and Finland. How related are the British Class 390s to the Italian original? Is it only the tilting equipment, and nothing else?

The ETR470s are no longer to be found in Switzerland.

 

[D6130]

The ETR470s are no longer to be found in Switzerland.

I believe that some of them are now running in Greece - on the recently electrified main line between Athens and Thessaloniki - since the OSE passenger franchise was awarded to Trenitalia.

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

I've been on a couple of the ETR470/Cisalpino units and you can tell the family resemblance with 390s.
Alstom have this thing about putting table lamps in 1st class which is also a giveaway.
While the bodyshells and bogies are all made at Savigliano, the tilt mechanism is different on the 390s as it is electric rather than hydraulic.
DB/OeBB's ICE-T units also use the Pendolino tilt system despite looking quite different externally (and being really nice to ride in).
I've also been on the CP, ČD and PKP units (you forgot Poland!), and again you know you are in a familiar bodyshell and fittings, even without tilt.
I thought the PKP units were the nicest, and all the continental fleets are significantly more roomy than the 390s because of our limited gauge.
The basic Pendolino design is for 250km/h, but not many of the trains in service get to do such speeds, mostly being deployed on lower speed routes.
The Avanti 390s have much the most intensive service of the operational fleets, most of which are of quite low numbers (typically 10-20, compared to Avanti's 56).
The 390s have an Alstom traction package with design input from Preston (ex-EE/GEC), but I suspect the continental variants are of French design (or possibly Italian for the ETR470).

 

[Peter Mugridge]

I've been on a couple of the ETR470/Cisalpino units and you can tell the family resemblance with 390s.

Is there any technical reason related to our smaller loading gauge why the 390s didn't have the much better looking front end design of the ETR470s, or was the styling choice simply what Virgin wanted?