automobili pininfarina debuts battista anniversario electric hypercar

the story goes that, on a visit to the white house in 1959, battista ‘pinin’ farina – the founder of the legendary italian coachbuilder and design house pininfarina – told president eisenhower that the car of the future will only see incremental changes as long as combustion engines remain. instead he predicted that if powertrains radicalize then what we know as the ‘car’ will change dramatically. fast forward 50 years where, at the geneva motor show 2019, automobili pininfarina debuted the battista as not only their sub-brand’s first ever production car but also what they called the world’s most connected electric hypercar.

to mark 90 years since the company was first set up, designboom visited pininfarina’s factory in cambiano, near turin, italy – their home since 1982 – for a preview of a special edition of this hypercar. the pininfarina battista anniversario aims to continue to prove that the design house can build, not just design, their own beautiful cars. five models will be hand-crafted, each with a starting price of €2.6 million euros.

all images courtesy of automobili pininfarina

like its teardrop form, the pininfarina battista anniversario has an almost identical shape to the original hypercar. however, uniquely it is armoured by blades of carbon fiber that enhance its airflow. these – a front splitter, side blades and rear diffuser – are tinted in a deep, dark ‘iconica blu’ color. the exterior itself adorns a colorway of white and technical gray – a reference to the brand’s historic aerodynamic research – split by a blue pin-stripe painted by hand. the rear wing is cut into two sections, each ultra-thin and edged with LEDs. below this sits the newly placed charging socket, called the E-heart, that pulsates when energizing.

‘my grandfather always had the vision that one day there would be a stand-alone range of pininfarina-branded cars,‘ explains paolo pininfarina, chairman, pininfarina spa. ‘the battista anniversario, named in his honor to mark 90 years of the carrozzeria that he started, is a glorious way to link our past with the future of motoring‘. with only five models, the special edition immortalizes the anniversary’s significance into its design details. here, it features headlight engraving, script on the side wings, ‘pininfarina 90’ logos, and dedicated door plaques.

step in through the butterfly wing-style doors and the interior of the pininfarina battista anniversario is orientated to enhanced the driver experience. the dark cabin, dressed in black sustainable leather and alcantara with blue stitching, ensures all focus is on the road ahead. it includes a new, more square-like steering wheel design that benefits from an improved control layout. two displays screens are positioned on either side, and is equipped with a digital rear-view mirror to improve visibility. said to be the world’s most connected hypercar, it includes an advanced online infotainment system with digital services and upgrades over-the-air.

from its lightweight architecture to its aerodynamic form and driver-oriented cockpit, every element of the design accentuates its pure-electric performance. the motor itself provides an impressive foundation of up to 1,900 hp and 2,300 nm of torque. this propels the vehicle from 0-62 mph in below 2 seconds and to a top speed of 217 mph. these speeds are achieved with a hypercar that also offers a range of 311 miles on a single charge.