Italian car design doyen debuts $3 million electric “hypercar”

Eminent Italian automotive design house Pininfarina has wowed attendees at the 2019 Geneva Motor Show this week with the unveiling of its very first hypercar, the Battista all-electric coupe.

Created by Pininfarina’s Germany-based car manufacturing arm Automobili Pininfarina GmbH and named after founder Battista Farina, the hypercar is the pinnacle of Italian electric automotive vehicle design – and for its $A3 million price tag, it had better be.

With the equivalent of 1,874 horsepower, 2,300Nm of torque and the ability to top speeds of 400km/hr, the limited production, hand-built luxury Battista hypercar can reach 100km/hr in less than two seconds, according to the carmaker.

On display at the Geneva Motor Show, Pininfarina Automobili have debuted three variants of the luxury hypercar: one a dark grey with blue accents, one in Pininfarina’s signature blue and a third in pearl white with red accents.

The first, known as the Grigio Luserna Battista features accents in satin blue on its dull grey finish, complemented by anodized aluminum details, with a unique, striking wheel design and beige in black interior.

The second, dubbed the Blu Iconica, is the closest to the traditional Pininfarina brand color among the three vehicles shown, with the carmaker using multiple layers of paint to create a deep blue to represent the electrical power in a luxurious package that is the Pininfarina Battista.

Modifications to the roof and a visual connection of bonnet and windshield with carbon fiber fins give the vehicle’s aesthetics a spectacular touch. The front fender absorbs the lines of the rear flanks by its optical division above the LED strip of light, thus making the overall picture appear harmonious.

The third model, finished in a pearlescent white with red accents is the truest to the Italian luxury carmaker’s signature design language, says the carmaker.

One of these design details is a red aluminum line that runs between the sill and door along the flanks and right in front of the front wheel, as well as enclosing the rear from the rear wheel arches.

Red brake calipers and a dark chrome line above the window are the only other decorative elements.

Luca Borgogno, design director at Automobili Pininfarina, explains (translated from the carmaker’s German press release):

“The Battista was supposed to be very Italian – with sensual curves that evoke memories of the 1960s vehicles, drawing attention to the era of racy automotive design lines and Pininfarina The Battista’s body style is fluent in Italian, with the details developed in collaboration with the owner of the vehicle so that accents can be set and a personal touch given.”

At the same time as the Pininfarina Battista has been debuted at Geneva, Mahindra Racing with whom the Italian design house has close links, has also showed off its Formula E all-electric racing car, in an exclusive racing finish.

Mahindra’s experiences and technological developments in the Formula E race championship, in particular energy  storage and delivery, as well as cooling and software system controls, benefit the Battista directly, putting it in the fast lane in more ways than one.