Automobili Pininfarina’s pure-electric Battista was awarded the ‘Hyper GT of the Year’ at the 2021 TopGear.com awards. The title’s expert panel of writers chose this year’s winners, and the judges were all praises for the Battista for its exhilarating performance and gorgeous design.
The ‘Hyper GT of the Year’ is the latest accolade it has received after just being awarded the prestigious Design Award at the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este in October. A production-ready hyper GT with a unique specification made its debut at Lake Como in Italy for the exclusive event. The example had an exquisite Verde Paradiso finish matched with a tan leather interior.
Top Gear magazine editor Jack Rix stated, “The Battista is a triumph given what it set out to achieve. It’s beautiful inside and out, and violently fast. Mark my words, you will never get used to the Battista’s club-round-the-head acceleration, because the human body is simply not equipped to. At this stratospheric performance level, it’s all about conjuring up an experience that lodges in your brain and gets the adrenaline flowing. And it is impossible to drive this car and not be mesmerized.”
“The Automobili Pininfarina family is honored that the Battista has been named ‘Hyper GT of the Year,’ by Top Gear. It’s an award that captures exactly what the Battista is about: the very pinnacle of sustainable luxury and electrified performance combined with sensational design,” Automobili Pininfarina Chief Executive Officer Per Svantesson added. “We are now ready to begin handcrafting customer cars at the Battista Atelier in Cambiano, Italy. Every Battista will be bespoke to the taste of its owner, yet each will offer the sublime blend of exquisite design and incredible performance that are now recognized by the BBC Top Gear team. This award is a perfect reward for the team that has worked so hard to bring Battista to life.”
There will only be a maximum of 150 hand-built Battistas that will be produced and this already includes the five extremely exclusive Battista Anniversario models. The Battista already made its debut in the US and Europe and the powerful 1,900 hp and 2,360 Nm torque hypercar blew the clients away with its performance in a series of test events held weeks afterwards.
The Battista is nearing its final phase of development with customer deliveries expected in the near horizon – around early 2022. Since the start of the Battista development program, the engineers of Automobili Pininfarina worked hand in hand with former Formula One and Formula E driver Nick Heidfeld. The Automobili Pininfarina Test and Development Driver recently talked about the most powerful Italian sports car ever created both on the road and on track.
“It has been a real privilege to play a part in developing Battista, which represents a significant evolution in the world of hyper and luxury cars. From the first time I experienced Battista’s performance in 2019 in an advanced simulator, to today on road and track, I believe the Automobili Pininfarina team has successfully developed a unique hyper GT that is enormous fun, as well as incredibly fast.” Heidfeld shared.
Throughout the development process, engineering excellence has been of paramount importance as the Battista is currently the most powerful Italian production car. The advanced e-powertrain and bespoke driving dynamics gives the Battista its tailored driving experience which has impressed Heidfeld during the whole process.
In the Furiosa mode, you’ll experience the full 1,900 hp of the Battista as it also uses the full torque available from the four independent electric motors. The Battista can go from 0 to 100 kph in less than two seconds and it also has a recorded top speed of 350 kph. The original projection of the Battista was that it will be able to produce 2,300 Nm of torque, but in reality the great engineers were able to increase it to 2,360 Nm. The power comes from the two 250 kW and two 450 kW motors from the front and rear, respectively. Each front motor has 280 Nm of torque while the rear motors have 900 Nm.
Photo: James Lipman
“In this test I was able to drive Battista with full power available. The effect under acceleration is completely mind-bending – drivers will never bore of the experience, no matter how many times they feel it. This road car sprints faster than a Formula 1 car, and in Furiosa mode, I was left with a huge grin on my face every time. Every client that experienced Battista with me was positively overwhelmed by the experience – there is simply nothing like it.”
Heidfeld continued, “Battista is a beautiful piece of design, and its formidable presence is now enhanced by its unique exterior sound. With Battista in Furiosa mode, the exterior sound is at its most audible setting and it instantly made me smile on approach. You hear Battista before you see it – the car appears ‘alive’, and it helps develop an emotional connection that I honestly did not expect. The team had a tough target to hit here, and I believe this strategy is now proving a success.”
Using the Battista’s advanced torque vectoring system, the four independent high-performance electric permanent-magnet synchronous motors (PMSM) independently share the power to each wheel. This allows the Battista to deliver accurate and efficient shift of torque compared to torque vectoring by braking.
A beautiful rotary dial provides control of the driving experience. It is placed strategically next to the driver to easily allow for quick changes between driving modes settings namely: Pura, Energica, Calma, Crattere, and Furiosa. Each of them gives a unique character to the Battista’s drive, adapting perfectly to a variety of driving conditions.
“The handling on open roads – even on unpredictable surfaces – proved Battista to be beautifully balanced. Just how a hyper GT should feel. Battista’s performance on track had already surprised and impressed me after I experienced it in Nardo earlier this year, so my expectations on this occasion were set high. This test however confirmed that the team has achieved its target of creating a new type of hyper GT which is rewarding on all surfaces. The ride quality and damping both feel excellent, and the steering feels natural and the perfect fit for what we want to achieve in Battista. I am very sensitive to steering feel as a racing driver, and the sweet spot here is for it to feel light yet connected, and direct yet smooth,” Heidfeld shared.
The Battista went though thousands of miles of software simulation for calibration before it was even introduced to development. The driving modes enable the driver to fine-tune the driving experience and to unleash the full potential of the advanced torque vectoring system as well as the hyper GT characteristics of the Battista.
“Our cooperation with Nick Heidfeld started in 2019, when he participated in the first physical ergonomic test of the Battista interior model; evaluating the driving position and the proposed HMI system. This was followed by him ‘virtually’ testing Battista in an advanced driving simulator where we started to tune the hyper GT’s bespoke chassis dynamics set-up. Nick has been a brilliant partner throughout the whole development program, not only for his driving skills and unique experience in both Formula 1 and Formula E, but also for his ability to evaluate and improve the program in its various stages of development by delivering the anticipated view of our customers,” shared Automobili Pininfarina Chief Product and Engineering Officer Paolo Dellacha.
“This input was essential as we aimed to combine the extreme performance of a hypercar with a much wider spectra of usability in Battista, where outstanding power and torque are always accessible, safe and enjoyable on roads every day. Battista now has incredibly refined body and axle balance, perfect integration of e-powertrain and chassis domain controls, and optimum specific calibrations of its five Drive Modes. Coupled with its highly-connected User Interface and unique Sound Experience, Battista is now redefining the essence of Granturismo.”
BATTISTA TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS
PERFORMANCE
• Range: up to 500 km
• Acceleration 0-100 km/h: Under 2.0 seconds
• Acceleration 0-300 km/h: Under 12.0 seconds
• Power output: 1,900 hp
• torque: 2,360 Nm
• Top speed: 350 km/h
• Drive: All-wheel drive with full torque vectoring
• Driving modes:
o Calma
o Pura
o Energica
o Furiosa
o Carattere (The option drivers may select to modify Battista performance and dynamics to their own preference)
BRAKES
• Brembo CCMR carbon-ceramic 390 mm discs with six-piston calipers front and rear
WHEELS
• Standard: 20-inch forged aluminium front and rear ‘Prezioso’ wheels, or:
• Optional: 20-inch front and 21-inch rear forged aluminium ‘Impulso’ wheels
TIRES
• Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2R
BODY
• Full-carbon fiber monocoque with carbon fiber body panels Aluminium crash structure front and rear
BATTERY PACK
• Layout: T-shaped liquid-cooled lithium-ion
• Supplier: Rimac Automobili
• Battery energy: 120 kWh
CHARGING
• DC fast charging capability at up to 250 kW
