The Pininfarina Battista electric hypercar is more than a simple remix of the Rimac Nevara.
Pininfarina’s Battista has been circulating in the news for over three years. Still, with more recent information about the vehicle now being manufactured and it being reviewed by Top Gear and Edmunds, perhaps it deserves one more look. It could show the future of electric hypercars, not just from Pininfarina but from the market as a whole.
Pininfarina is an Italian auto design firm that has worked with many automotive brands on improving the aesthetic design of their vehicles for decades now. Most notably, the brand has worked with Alfa Romeo on their Stradale in the ’60s, countless Ferraris, including the 348 and 360 from the ’80s and ’90s, and now they are introducing a vehicle of their own based on the carbon tub and powertrain from a Rimac Nevera.
Universally, the Pininfarina Battista has been adored for its hypercar performance. With a quad motor setup that puts 1,874 horsepower and 1,726 pound-feet of torque, it will make your head spin as you rocket from 0-60 in under 2 seconds. And if you are willing to keep your foot off the floor, the vehicle will even take you 300 miles, with 100% complimentary lifetime charging.
Much like other electric vehicles, the vehicle is far from featherweight. In Top Gear’s video in the rain, the hypercar handled more like the Saturn 5 rocket than a road-going vehicle. However, this gets to the point of the Battista; character and charm.
While Top Gear calls the Rimac Nevara the “nerd’s wet dream,” the Pininfarina offers a classic supercar feel. Its gorgeous Italian body lines are contrary to the Rimac and evoke thoughts of a Ferrari Dino, 360, or F50 brought to the modern era.
Pininfarina’s pursuit of character continues in the cockpit, where you are greeted by traditional leatherwork, expected strange Italian UI choices (a screen on either side of the driver, instead of in front of them), and a large drive setting knob letting you chose from; calma, pura, energica, and furiosa. The drive modes, in particular, is where Edmunds finds much of the car’s character resides; “give the knob a turn…” suggests Edmunds, “and you instantly feel everything in the car tighten up.”
More minor details are present to help create a unique driving experience as well. The vehicle is given a distinctive noise via interior and exterior speakers, while active aero and electronically controlled dampers change the vehicle’s driving dynamics and appearance.
Pininfarina’s Battista shows the new challenge sports car manufacturers face; how do you create a passionate experience in an item that removes many traditional characteristics? Hopefully, the character and enjoyment brought to so many by supercars will not go the way of the dinosaur with electric powertrains, but manufacturers will undoubtedly have to change how they affect the driving experience in the electrified world.
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