Battista Pinin Farina was the gentleman responsible for the establishment of the Pininfarina design house in Italy back in 1930. From that design house, generations of iconic cars from Ferrari, Alfa Romeo, and others have gone from conceptual sketches to reality. Now, Pininfarina is not just designing them, but building its own cars. The hypercar below is an example.

Pininfarina sold to Mahindra

In 2015, Pininfarina was facing some financial problems. So, the design house was sold. It was picked up by an Indian company called, Mahindra Group. Since then, Pininfarina has been receiving funding to get itself up and running again. It has also been given the green light to produce its own cars. 

The specifications for the Battista

The design house has put together an electric hypercar that has some pretty phenomenal numbers associated with it. For example, does 1,900 horsepower sound pretty fantastic? How about a limited 217 mile-per-hour-top speed? Does 280 miles of range sound appealing? These are all pretty staggering numbers. 

Pininfarina is calling it the most powerful Italian car in history. The name they gave it is, Battista, in tribute to the founder of the company. The car is the result of Mahindra’s “Race-to-Road” technology transfer program. The Battista has a carbon-fiber body over a carbon fiber monocoque frame. The car even has an articulating rear wing that drops into an airbrake position if needed. It has been said to accelerate like a rocket. Zero-to-sixty time for the car is under two seconds, aided by an all-wheel-drive system. Keep in mind this is a 4,500 pound car moving that fast.

Inside the electric hypercar

Motor Trend had an opportunity to write up what they thought of the interior. They sounded impressed. Here is an excerpt, 

“The Battista’s interior is at once high tech and luxurious, with state-of-the-moment infotainment interfaces and a wide range of available trim colors. Two screens are located either side of the steering wheel, the left controlling dynamics and performance, the right media and navigation. All vital information is displayed immediately in front of the driver on a small, centrally mounted screen. A rotary controller mounted on the door enables drive mode settings; on the right is the transmission control.”

Pininfarina has not released the Battista yet

The electric Battista is not street legal yet. Pininfarina has it undergoing testing at this time. But, once approved, it will be hitting the streets soon, possibly late 2020. Only 150 will be made with a price point that has not been set yet. According to Pininfarina’s webpage, 

“[The Battista] is more than simply a new car reveal, but a pivotal moment in time for the new automotive environment: the first zero-emissions, Italian luxury car.”

A review by Top Gear

In the video below, Top Gear reviewed the vehicle. They said the Battista took the hypercar formula and ripped it apart with its teeth. It does so with more horsepower than a formula one car and the environmental footprint equivalent to a Nissan Leaf.

It is amazing to see how far the electric car can go so early in its infancy. The world has gone from seeing odd-shaped futuristic designed cars with little range to beautiful creations with immense horsepower and ranges that are pushing the tech envelope one year to the next. An original Toyota Prius is an example of the former, while the Pininfarina Battista is a perfect example of the latter.