Something is abuzz at the Goodwood Member’s Meeting. But most of the attention fell on the amazing Pininfarina Battista. Pininfarina calls it the world’s first electric hyper performance GT, and it looks utterly delicious.
The best part is not just the gloriously sporting, Gran Turismo-inspired design. The Pininfarina Battista is based on competition from the Rimac Concept_One, Porsche Taycan, and much-anticipated Tesla Roadster v2.0: an electric hypercar to end all electric hypercars – with all the right ingredients to prove it.
The Pininfarina Battista is named after the company’s founder Battista Pininfarina, and rightfully so. Pininfarina gained prominence at the 1935 Milan Auto Show courtesy of the Alfa Romeo 6C. The company was the first to develop a car using wind tunnel testing in 1936 with the Lancia Aprilia Aerodinamica. But it gave Ferrari a new face with the 212 roadster in 1951.
With a portfolio such as that, why on earth did it take so long for Pininfarina to create their first car? Personally, I don’t know why, but it has something to do with fresh money pouring in from Mahindra, which acquired Pininfarina SpA in 2015.
Pininfarina is marketing the Battista as an electric GT hypercar. All I know is I want one.
1,900 Horses. You read that right.
Let’s start with the juicy bits. How would you like an EV supercar that goes faster than a Formula 1 racing car? If the thought of earth-shattering speed tickles your fancy, it’s good to know the Pininfarina Battista is more than willing to oblige.
The Battista comes with four electric motors and a 120 kWh lithium-ion battery pack. This allows the Battista to produce 1,900 horsepower and 1,696 pound-feet (3,200 Newton-meters) of torque. With these numbers, the Pininfarina Battista thunders from zero to 60 mph in less than 2 seconds and a top speed of 217 mph. And you can do it all day without spewing hydrocarbons and poisoning the plants, trees, or small animals in the vicinity.
If that doesn’t sound like a recipe for a perfectly good time, I don’t know what is. The Pininfarina Battista is probably the most fun you can have with your clothes on, and I say that in utmost sincerity.
But there’s a small problem. Remember the second-generation Tesla Roadster? Many say Elon Musk is detached from reality, but the proof is in the pudding. The next-gen Tesla Roadster can rocket from zero to 60 mph in 1.9-seconds with a top speed of 250 mph, with a premium version coming too. And Musk says that car will have ten small rocket thrusters to propel you back to the future and possibly beyond.
Oh, and the Tesla achieves 620 miles (997 kilometers) of range. In the meantime, the Pininfarina Battista has a range of around 280 miles (450 kilometers). It’s interesting to see how these two cars will fare as deliveries commence in 2020.
Classic Supercar Styling
Pininfarina’s first-ever car should be no less than stunning. The company spent years designing the most beautiful automotive pieces of art for the world’s most renowned carmakers, after all. Based on initial impressions, the Battista is on the golden path to success.
In terms of styling alone, the Pininfarina will not disappoint. The purity of execution is simply faultless. It does carry some familiar design cues of the Ferrari F8 Tributo and McLaren 720S, but there’s nothing wrong with that. In fact, what really stands out is the rear styling. Those floating rear lights are a subtle hint to the future as the Battista overtakes your measly Porsche 911 or Audi R8. It is both old-school and modern. It’s as refreshing as a cold beer on a hot and humid summer night.
Modern Construction
The Pininfarina Battista is constructed from a carbon-fiber monocoque similar to race cars and other supercars like the Koenigsegg Agera, Bugatti Veyron & Chiron, Ford GT, and McLaren 720S. The batteries are placed behind the occupants and along the sides of the vehicle in a unique T-format.
In order to save precious money in R&D, the electrical architecture in the Pininfarina Battista is co-developed with Rimac. The handling and suspension tuning is overseen by Dr. Peter Tutzer, who once gave Porsche, Bugatti, and Pagani hypercars the handling characteristics of a go-kart. Stopping this type of vehicle is not an easy feat, so Pininfarina saw it fit to include carbon-ceramic discs and six-piston calipers for the brakes.
Limited Production Run
The Pininfarina Battista has an estimated MSRP of £2 million. That’s approximately $2.6 million USD in today’s money, so prepare your checkbook. But you need to act fast since Pininfarina will only build 150 Battistas by 2020.
