Limited-run Pininfarina Battista Edizione Nino Farina makes debut
Automobili Pininfarina launches a new variant of its all-electric Battista at Goodwood Festival of Speed
The Pininfarina Battista hypercar is limited to just 150 units in ordinary form, but the new Edizione Nino Farina will be available to just five lucky customers. Celebrating the very first Formula 1 World Champion, Nino Farina, the model made its dynamic debut at the Goodwood Festival of Speed with Nick Heidfeld at the wheel, and we had the chance to ride shotgun.
Bespoke design tweaks set the model apart from the standard car, with new Rosso Nino paintwork, satin gold wheels and intricate details to be found throughout – there's a unique plaque inside, with even the headlights featuring a bespoke Nino Farina engraving. Under the skin though, the same Rimac-derived powertrain remains, and that's certainly no bad thing.
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As part of the Battista's debut in India, the all-electric hypercar made a visit to the the Natrax Indore testing facility, breaking key international acceleration records with its immense all-electric performance. Based on the same underpinnings as the Rimac Nevera, it should come as no surprise that the Battista achieved near-identical acceleration times. During the tests, Pininfarina covered the 1/4-mile in just 8.55sec, beating the 8.58sec of the Nevera by a fraction to become the world's fastest accelerating production car.
The standard Battista will be limited to just 150 units priced at around £2m, and is based on a carbonfibre chassis commissioned from Croatian electric hypercar manufacturer Rimac. The 120kWh battery pack, electric motors and capacitors are also sourced borrowed, yet while much of its tech is shared, there's been much work to ensure that its vision of the Battista remained pure. As a result, Pininfarina did significant work on the Battista’s overall proportions, moving the windscreen forward by 180mm, giving it a more traditional Italian mid-engined supercar silhouette.
Two electric motors are mounted to each axle, each powering a specific wheel and giving the Battista full torque vectoring capability without the need for heavy and complex differentials. Total power is rated at 1873bhp, with a staggering 1697lb ft of torque available at a standstill, enabling the Battista to hit 62mph in 1.86sec and 124mph in just 4.75 – a 62mph to standstill distance of 31m is also a record for a production electric car. Pininfarina quotes an estimated 217mph top speed (though it achieved 222mph in recent tests), some way from the 258mph of Rimac's Nevera.
The battery pack itself is not of the increasingly popular skateboard variety, rather it’s a T-shaped unit that sits behind the driver compartment and runs between the two seats. The main benefit is being able to maintain an ultra-low driving position, as well as keeping more of the mass towards the centre of the car. The 120kWh battery pack should enable a potential range of up to 280 miles from a single charge.
If there is a single element that plays to Pininfarina’s strengths, it is of course the design, and the Battista does not disappoint in this regard. The traditional mid-engined silhouette is present and correct, and is wrapped with a considered, subtle and sophisticated body that is dripping with appeal. The most dynamic and interesting element is the massive delta-wing motif, that runs over the tight rear haunches and informs the rear styling and floating wings that also house the tail lights. This section also holds the Battista’s active rear wing, which is the only piece of active aero on the car.
The interior is dominated by a pair of touchscreens flanking the steering wheel, with designers focusing on a level of symmetry from the driver’s perspective, rather than the interior as a whole. Specific trims and finishes are able to be specified to the owner’s taste, and as suspected, this is a strictly two-seater interior.
Behind the Battista’s development were some big names, with former Formula 1 driver Nick Heidfeld having put the model through its paces as a development driver, and Mercedes-AMG alumni Rene Wollmann handling the schedule.
When it comes to cost, Automobili Pininfarina is quoting a price for the Battista of around £2m. This price point puts it above potential rivals like the Lotus Evija and Rimac, and straight into the territory of the Bugatti Chiron; a car which not only appeals on design and performance, but heritage.
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