The Pininfarina Battista is a ready-made icon. Unveiled in 2019 and delivered to customers from October 2022, the electric ‘hyper GT’ is both feted by the industry’s design greats (it won the Design Award at the 2021 Concorso d'Eleganza in Lake Como) and beloved by its wealthy owners (data suggests every car delivered has been driven at least 1,000 miles – no mean feat in an age of cars as shrink-wrapped investment vehicles).
Under the guidance of Automobili Pininfarina’s new CEO Paolo Dellachà, in the job just six months, the Italian manufacturer is taking a leaf from Bugatti’s playbook and spinning its only model off into myriad special editions. The Pininfarina Battista Edizione Nino Farina is a bit of a mouthful, as well as being the second limited series model of the car after the Battista Anniversario. Both will be made in an edition of five, out of the total of 150 Battistas the company plans to build before 2028.
Pininfarina Battista Edizione Nino Farina
Battista ‘Pinin’ Farina established ‘Carrozzeria Pinin Farina‘ in 1928. Pininfarina’s long, long history of car design was the impetus behind the move into manufacturing, with parent company (Mahindra) reasoning that such rich heritage would make the Pininfarina name instantly desirable amongst a certain class of ultra-wealthy car collector. The company’s greatest hits are long and starry, including some of the finest Ferraris ever built, such as the 250 Europa GT, Dino and Testarossa, as well as highly praised models for Alfa Romeo, Lancia, Maserati, Fiat, Volvo, and Peugeot. Automobili Pininfarina was spun off from the main consultancy in 2018.
Giuseppe ‘Nino’ Farina was Pinin’s nephew. Born in 1906, he went on to become a pioneering racing driver, winning the title of Italian Champion from 1937 to 1939. Nino was also the first winner of the inaugural World Championship of Drivers, the precursor to today’s Formula One World Drivers’ Championship, in 1950 at the wheel of an Alfa Romeo. He went on to drive for Ferrari, once described by Enzo Ferrari as driving ‘as if the devil was behind him and angels ahead’. He died, in a car accident, in 1966.
Such a storied career is a gift that no car maker could overlook. This new edition honours the racer’s life, with a livery that evokes the racing colours of his era (without treading on Ferrari’s toes). The car features bespoke Rosso Nino paint with contrasting stripes in Bianco Sestriere and Iconica Blu. New Glorioso Gold wheels and unique hand-painted ‘01’ side graphic are joined by a two-tone interior theme.
Appropriately enough, all Battistas deliver performance that’ll best a Formula One car, old or new. The car will rocket to 60mph in 1.79 seconds, reaching double that speed in just 4.49 seconds. It also handles deftly, is docile enough to be used everyday and has a range of nearly 300 miles. Proudly handcrafted in Italy (Cambiano, to be precise), it is the most powerful Italian production car made to date (a fact that must rile Ferrari no end).
The company’s chief design officer Dave Amantea explained how each car typically has between €400,00 and €1.1m worth of customisation work on top of the €2m-plus purchase price, and emphasises just how important individuality is to the collector. Amantea also notes that the battery-powered Battista is pushing the hypercar market in new directions, inviting engagement from those who care little about traditional engineering. Even so, the company has instilled the Battista with a sound of its own that rumbles away on start-up like an approaching helicopter.
Pininfarina Battista Edizione Nino Farina, design-editions.automobili-pininfarina.com
