Pininfarina's Wild Battista Sings Its Electric Swan Song
Image Credit: Automobili Pininfarina.
For years, we've heard the whispers, haven't we? "Electric is the future!" they chirped, usually while trying to sell you something beige with the aerodynamic properties of a garden shed. But it's not all bad, and every so often, a company that actually knows how to make a car look like it wants to break the sound barrier, even while parked, decides to play with batteries. And when Pininfarina decided to play, they didn't just bring a ball; they brought a blinking, 1,900-horsepower, gold-trimmed thunderclap on wheels.
If the name Pininfarina doesn't make your heart do a little tango, you might be reading the wrong article. Or, possibly, you've been living under a rock so large it has its own postcode. These are the Italian maestros who've sculpted some of the most achingly beautiful Ferraris ever to grace God's green earth. They have a back catalog that could make grown men weep with joy. So, when they announced they were building their own car, and an electric one at that, a few years back in 2019, the collective automotive world leaned in so far we nearly toppled over. The car in question? The Battista. Named after the company's founder, no less. No pressure.
Image Credit: Automobili Pininfarina.
Sharing some of its electric bits with the equally bonkers Rimac Nevera, the Pininfarina Battista was already what you'd call "a bit special." With a global production cap of just 150 units worldwide, getting your hands on one was already tougher than convincing a cat to enjoy a bath. And the price? An eye-watering, heart-stopping $3 million, give or take a small island. For that, you got a car that could rearrange your internals with its acceleration, all while looking drop-dead gorgeous. But, as they say, all good, incredibly exclusive things must come to an end. Production is winding down this year, marking a swift five-year reign for this electric monarch.
How do you send off a legend that was only just born? Do you have a quiet word, a polite handshake, and maybe a small plaque? Not if you're Pininfarina. No way. Their answer was unveiled with a flourish at the Museo Nazionale dell'Automobile in Turin: A one-of-a-kind stunner called the "Novantacinque." That's Italian for ninety-five because, wouldn't you know it, Pininfarina is celebrating its 95th anniversary. And what a birthday present to themselves – and to one incredibly fortunate, and presumably very wealthy, individual.
Image Credit: Automobili Pininfarina.
The Novantacinque is the Mona Lisa of the automotive world after it decided it needed a bit more bling, but in a good way. The bodywork is finished in a spectacular red-tinted carbon fiber that probably costs more per square inch than my entire house. This is contrasted with lashings of what they call "PURA Vision Gold." Yes, there's gold everywhere - under the massive rear wing, in delicate pinstripes along the sides, and it generally makes the car look like it just won first prize at the Intergalactic Concours d'Elegance. There's even a special "Novantacinque" script on that active rear wing, just in case you forget what you're looking at, alongside several '95' logos dotted around like very expensive Easter eggs. It sits on polished wheels with black detailing, shod in Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tires – when you have this much power, you need rubber that sticks like a worried limpet.
Step inside, assuming you're on the guest list, and the special treatment continues. The seats are a delightful mix of black leather and black Alcantara, held together with stitching in, you guessed it, black and gold. The '95' logo makes another appearance on the Alcantara-appointed knee pads, subtly reminding you of the car's heritage… and its price tag. There's exposed satin carbon fiber everywhere, gleaming aluminum bits, and more elements anodized in gold and black. It's the sort of cabin that makes you want to wear driving gloves and a silk scarf, even if you're just popping out for a pint of milk – though, let's be honest, this car is more likely to fetch artisanal, organically sourced, diamond-filtered unicorn milk.
Image Credit: Automobili Pininfarina.
Like all Battistas, the Novantacinque is powered by four electric motors – one for each wheel – fed by a chunky 120 kWh battery pack. The combined output is a frankly ludicrous 1,900 horsepower and a tarmac-tearing 1,696 pound-feet of torque. To put that into perspective, that's like strapping several very angry bulls to each corner of your car. The result? It'll catapult itself from a standstill to 62 miles per hour in 1.89 seconds. You'd barely have time to gasp before you're doing speeds that would get your license shredded into confetti. 0 - 120 mph in 4.5 seconds… Quarter mile in 8.3 seconds… It takes six seconds to reach 186 mph… In the time you've read the last few sentences, the Battista gets from a standstill to over 200 mph. It's the kind of acceleration that could make your eyeballs try to swap sockets.
I just have one question: Where does one deploy such a monumental grunt? The school run would be over before you've even registered you've left the driveway. A trip to the shops would involve arriving before you've even finished your shopping list. Perhaps it's designed for those moments when you absolutely, positively need to be in the next time zone, right now. It's gloriously, wonderfully, and utterly excessive. And that is precisely the point.
Even Pininfarina's chief executive, Paulo Dellachà, got in on the celebratory act, describing the Novantacinque as representing "the pinnacle of bespoke luxury and performance...a tribute to Pininfarina's past, present, and future – a timeless masterpiece created to honor 95 years of design excellence." And you know what? For once, the corporate speak isn't far off. It is a masterpiece. A very fast, very expensive, very gold-trimmed masterpiece.
With only 150 Battistas ever to be made, and the Novantacinque being the glittering cherry on top of that very limited-edition cake, the end of its production run marks a significant moment. It's a testament to how far electric vehicle technology has come, and a slightly terrifying glimpse into its hyper-exclusive, hyper-expensive potential. It's the kind of car that makes you dream, even if your daily drive is more about fuel economy than face-melting G-forces.
Hats off to Pininfarina. They took their legendary design prowess, embraced the electric revolution, and created something truly memorable. The Battista Novantacinque is beautiful, it's bonkers, and it's a magnificent way to say "arrivederci" to a machine that briefly showed us what happens when you give automotive artists nearly 2,000 electric horses and tell them to go wild.
