Automotive

Pininfarina Battista unveiled: 1,900-horsepower electric hypercar is an absolute stunner

Pininfarina Battista unveiled: 1,900-horsepower electric hypercar is an absolute stunner
Pininfarina's Battista electric hypercar in Blu Iconica - the company's signature color
Pininfarina's Battista electric hypercar in Blu Iconica - the company's signature color
View 34 Images
Pininfarina's Battista electric hypercar in Blu Iconica - the company's signature color
1/34
Pininfarina's Battista electric hypercar in Blu Iconica - the company's signature color
Wrap-over wings are the key design element on the rear
2/34
Wrap-over wings are the key design element on the rear
Deep hood scoops aid in creating downforce
3/34
Deep hood scoops aid in creating downforce
21-inch rims with bespoke Pirelli P Zero tires
4/34
21-inch rims with bespoke Pirelli P Zero tires
Grey/blue color combination - each Battista will be a custom build
5/34
Grey/blue color combination - each Battista will be a custom build
Active rear wing can flip up to act as a high speed air brake
6/34
Active rear wing can flip up to act as a high speed air brake
Upward-opening doors
7/34
Upward-opening doors
Like folded-back wings, the rear panels wrap around and blend into the active aero spoilers
8/34
Like folded-back wings, the rear panels wrap around and blend into the active aero spoilers
Blacked-out cabin accentuates the sides of the bodywork
9/34
Blacked-out cabin accentuates the sides of the bodywork
The car is named for Battista "Pinin" (little one) Farina, founder of the Pininfarina brand back in 1930
10/34
The car is named for Battista "Pinin" (little one) Farina, founder of the Pininfarina brand back in  1930
This is the first car that'll bear the Pininfarina name on the back and front, as well as the sides
11/34
This is the first car that'll bear the Pininfarina name on the back and front, as well as the sides
Does that headlight look a touch McLarenish to you?
12/34
Does that headlight look a touch McLarenish to you?
Deep hood scoop aids with aerodynamics
13/34
Deep hood scoop aids with aerodynamics
The Battista uses a Rimac powertrain with 120 kWh of batteries and up to 1,900 horsepower
14/34
The Battista uses a Rimac powertrain with 120 kWh of batteries and up to 1,900 horsepower
Located to the center and rear of the car, the powertrain helps the car achieve the weight balance of a mid-engined beast
15/34
Located to the center and rear of the car, the powertrain helps the car achieve the weight balance of a mid-engined beast
The interior: luxury meets lunacy
16/34
The interior: luxury meets lunacy
These flating rear wings will be the signature design element of the Pininfarina Battista
17/34
These flating rear wings will be the signature design element of the Pininfarina Battista
That sharp waistline recalls the BMW i8 and Fort GT
18/34
That sharp waistline recalls the BMW i8 and Fort GT
The Battista will hit 100 kmh in less than two seconds
19/34
The Battista will hit 100 kmh in less than two seconds
The charge point on the back looks absolutely awesome
20/34
The charge point on the back looks absolutely awesome
Looking sensible in pearlescent white
21/34
Looking sensible in pearlescent white
Top speeds in excess of 350 kmh accompany truly terrifying acceleration
22/34
Top speeds in excess of 350 kmh accompany truly terrifying acceleration
Pininfarina unveils the Battista at the Geneva Auto Show
23/34
Pininfarina unveils the Battista at the Geneva Auto Show
A worthy flagship for the Pininfarina brand, and the Mahindra Group that stands behind it
24/34
A worthy flagship for the Pininfarina brand, and the Mahindra Group that stands behind it
Pulling the covers off a new legend in Geneva
25/34
Pulling the covers off a new legend in Geneva
Pininfarina Battista debut in Geneva
26/34
Pininfarina Battista debut in Geneva
Pininfarina Battista debut in Geneva
27/34
Pininfarina Battista debut in Geneva
Pininfarina Battista debut in Geneva
28/34
Pininfarina Battista debut in Geneva
Pininfarina Battista debut in Geneva
29/34
Pininfarina Battista debut in Geneva
Pininfarina Battista debut in Geneva
30/34
Pininfarina Battista debut in Geneva
Pininfarina Battista debut in Geneva
31/34
Pininfarina Battista debut in Geneva
Pininfarina Battista debut in Geneva
32/34
Pininfarina Battista debut in Geneva
Pininfarina Battista debut in Geneva
33/34
Pininfarina Battista debut in Geneva
Pininfarina Battista debut in Geneva
34/34
Pininfarina Battista debut in Geneva
View gallery - 34 images

No car design studio has a more compelling portfolio than Pininfarina, so expectations have been sky-high for the first car to have that famous logo on the back as well as the sides. So sit back and enjoy our first look at an Italian electric hypercar masterpiece for the new age.

Let's get performance specs out of the way; the rumors we raised last time we spoke with the Pininfarina team are true. The Battista will indeed use a Rimac powertrain with a highest level specification very close to the ludicrous Rimac C_Two. As we said when we first saw the C_Two, if you can class anything with more than a thousand horsepower as a hypercar, we're going to need a new category for these nigh-on 2,000 horse monsters.

Like folded-back wings, the rear panels wrap around and blend into the active aero spoilers
Like folded-back wings, the rear panels wrap around and blend into the active aero spoilers

The Battista can be specced out with up to 1,900 horses and 2,300 Nm (1,700 lb-ft) of all-electric torque from four separate motors. Such numbers are so alien to us that we can't properly fathom what it'll be like to pound the pedal to the floor – certainly, it'll be the tires' adhesion to the road that places any limits on acceleration. Fitted with bespoke Pirelli P Zero hoops on 21-inch rims, Pininfarina says it'll hit 100 km/h (62 mph) in less than two seconds from a standing start, and that sounds about right. Keep the pedal down, and you'll reach triple that speed in just 10 more seconds on the way to a top speed above 350 km/h (217 mph).

The body is a full carbon monocoque, aluminum crash impact absorbers at the front and rear. All bodywork is also carbon, and the T-shaped Rimac battery pack is located in the center tunnel, and behind the seats, giving a rear engined feel to the handling as well as allowing a proper hypercar-low seating position that wouldn't be possible if the batteries were under the floor. The pack's capacity is 120 kWh, giving the Battista a range up to 450 km (280 miles). Knowing what the lives of many supercars are like, it may not need to be charged at all by the first few owners.

Located to the center and rear of the car, the powertrain helps the car achieve the weight balance of a mid-engined beast
Located to the center and rear of the car, the powertrain helps the car achieve the weight balance of a mid-engined beast

The multi-mode, tuneable electronic suspension will come set for a balance between dynamic driving and on-road comfort, at least to start with, and the brakes will be absolute whoppers: 390 mm carbon/ceramic discs front and rear, clamped by six-piston calipers. If you're moving quick, the active rear wing will flip up to give you an air brake in addition.

Pininfarina wants to address the lack of roaring engine noise that separates combustion hypercars from electrics. From the press release: "The driver will be able to ... tailor the noise the 1,900 hp car makes – the Battista's on-board sound programme will focus on using vehicle hardware to generate acoustic entertainment, rather than generate artificial sounds." We'll be interested to hear how that translates to reality, and whether it tickles the adrenal glands like a dinosaur burner reaching redline.

The interior: luxury meets lunacy
The interior: luxury meets lunacy

The cabin looks absolutely sumptuous, with tasteful colors, patterned stitching and two large screens flanking a carbon steering wheel that's ready to receive some of the whitest knuckles this side of a rollercoaster. This, Pininfarina would like to remind you, is luxury as well as lunacy.

And so to the design, which after all is Pininfarina's calling card, having penned more than 100 Ferraris over the years and contributed to many other famous brands. Everyone's going to have their own opinion, of course (and we're interested to hear what you think in the comments below) but there's certainly some familiar-looking lines to enjoy.

Does that headlight look a touch McLarenish to you?
Does that headlight look a touch McLarenish to you?

The headlights, for example, make the front end look like a McLaren from some angles. The blacked-out, recessed cabin reminds us a little of a LaFerrari – ironically one of the Ferraris not designed by Pininfarina. The sharp hip lines recall the Ford GT, and the bifurcated, wraparound rear panels give us shades of the futuristic BMW i8 design.

These flating rear wings will be the signature design element of the Pininfarina Battista
These flating rear wings will be the signature design element of the Pininfarina Battista

From the upper rear, it almost has the feel of a diving bird, its wings held back as it prepares to hit the water; the way the rear wheel arches wrap over and transition into the active rear wing is the signature design element, and the neon-lit charge point behind the rear window sits there looking as futuristic as a flux capacitor. The doors open upwards.

Aerodynamics-wise, you'll notice splitters, diffusers, subtle side skirting and a deep, deep hood scoop to help stick this thing to the road, as well as rear venting to get cold air into the five radiators charged with cooling the powertrain. The overall design, says the company, was not intended to be a revolutionary or futuristic, but timeless – and in our opinion, it's as beautiful a design as anyone would expect, with some interesting twists to set it apart. It'll be a feather in the cap of Pininfarina SpA, the design company, as much as for Automobil Pininfarina, the car company.

A worthy flagship for the Pininfarina brand, and the Mahindra Group that stands behind it
A worthy flagship for the Pininfarina brand, and the Mahindra Group that stands behind it

Pininfarina has brought no less than three Battistas to Geneva for this coming out party – an appreciable percentage of the total number to be built, which is capped at 150 with sales already well underway. Each is expected to be a full custom build, and the three expo cars reflect different color options in satin grey and pearlescent white, although Blu Iconica is intended to be the brand's signature color going forward.

This is a significant car. It represents not only the dream of the Farina family to design its own supercar, and not only one of the first of a new breed of electric super-hypercars, but an absolute hero vehicle and flagship for Pininfarina's new ownership. Mahindra & Mahindra is an Indian-based auto manufacturer with a monster market to work with, a number of brands underneath it and a serious resumé in Formula E electric racing.

With staggering beauty, and more than enough power for four very fast cars, the Battista goes to the very top tier of high-end exotica on debut. We'll take two, thanks. Don't miss Mike Hanlon's interview with the Pininfarina team from last year.

Source: Pininfarina

View gallery - 34 images
8 comments
8 comments
highlandboy
At last an electric car Tesla can aspire too.
usugo
For a company like Mahindra, with a team in formula E, outsourcing the powertrain it is like a vote of no confidence in its own technology. And a missed opportunity to show they can do more than cheap Indian cars
Username
If I'm not home when you deliver it please park it out back. Thank you.
guzmanchinky
Is this going to cost 10x what the Tesla costs? But I'm glad someone (else) is finally realizing that the only way forward in the hypercar world is electric.
EZ
What's the point? Are they going to raise the speed limits?
guzmanchinky
oh and PLEASE never pipe fake engine noise into an electric car, that's about as dumb as playing fake horse noises into a Model T.
gangadin
They should put a free spinning fly wheel with a generator putting the powerback to a couple of high copacity capacitors. and get more milage.
Buzzclick
Oooh, this is a beautiful beast. (Almost) everything is perfect (don't care for the wheels). Form truly follows function here. I'll take mine in candy (iconica) blue please. The first photo looks like the anodized red brake calipers are lit, and if they're not they should be since it looks so cool. Lots of curves, like a woman, with nothing overdone (except the wheels). ; )
It's good that Pininfarina is concerned with the sound, and I'm glad to see that a recording is out of the question. Something mechanical that gets louder proportional to the speed, but what? Makes me think of when I was a kid and put a piece of cardboard with a clothespin on the fork of my bicycle so that it rattled against the spokes of the wheel. As for the cost? It'll be up there for sure. Way too much for us mortals. When I see the Mahindra brand, I think of the decent tractors it makes, but maybe now that'll have to change.
A super hypercar eh Loz? We're gonna run out of superlatives soon.