Pininfarina, the world famous Italian automotive design house and producer of the searingly fast Battista EV hypercar, has unveiled a new collaboration with Wayne Enterprises aiming to reflect "the public sophistication of Bruce Wayne" and embody "Bruce Wayne's war on crime" in car form.
Chip away at the layers of slightly bizarre marketing spiel and you are faced with two, very limited edition versions of Pininfarina’s topless B95 hyper Barchetta and the Battista hyper GT – both of which have borrowed elements from Bruce Wayne’s on-screen persona to inform a distinct colour palette and a number of Dark Knight touches.
As a quick reminder, the base car features a high-capacity 120kWh lithium-ion battery that's wrapped in a full carbon fibre housing to keep weight to a minimum. These powerful batteries then feed a quad-motor, all-wheel-drive propulsion system that pumps out a frankly staggering 1,900hp, which is capable of rocketing the vehicle from rest to 62mph in less than two seconds. It can get to 124mph in 4.75 seconds.
It’s certainly fast enough to keep up with The Joker and Bane and all those other bad dudes, but Pininfarina has thoroughly embraced the Bruce Wayne ethos with HMI "enhancements" that include a voice assistant that’s inspired by Wayne’s loyal butler and assistant, Alfred Pennyworth.
On the outside, you’ll find a smattering of Wayne Enterprises logos, as well as an aluminium chassis and doorplate that signifies the limited edition nature. Plus, Pininfarina has added tailgate shark fins and louver openings in the front and rear carbon fibre wings to "improve overall aerodynamic efficiency".
The two distinctive editions, Gotham and Dark Knight, come complete with their own looks. The former features a tan leather interior, gloss paintwork and distinctive alloy wheels. Dark Knight is decidedly, and probably unsurprisingly, very black: black Alcantara and black leather upholstery, with a unique black and gold duo-tone contrast stitch are particular highlights.
Both editions are also available in the B95 Barchetta – or roofless – version and the starting price for those is €4.9m ($5.2m/$AUS8m).
However, Pininfarina promises potential customers an "invite-only first-of-its-kind retail theatre concept," which is due to be held in New York (the purported inspiration for Gotham City).
From screen to shopping experience
According to the official blurb, Wayne Enterprises is a luxury commerce experience, taking inspiration from Batman’s civilian persona to produce limited edition capsule collections of everything from tech to multi-million dollar residencies.
The exclusive retail experience, which is linked to both Warner Bros. and DC Comics, features its own "undisclosed, seven-story Manhattan safehouse" where high net worth individuals, celebrities and society's high flyers are invited to browse and, more importantly, shop what is on display.
Currently, the well-heeled can sign up to own one of ten Wayne Enterprises Tumblers, complete with simulated land mine delivery system and imitation gun turrets, as well as Batman-inspired jet skis and electric downhill bikes that cost as much as a small family car.
Why? Who knows, but we guess that if money really is no object, you can take those cosplay fantasies to whatever levels you want.
