Automobili Pininfarina has unveiled the ultimate expression of the world’s first luxury pure-electric hyper GT, the Battista Anniversario.

The Battista Anniversario celebrates 90 years since Battista ‘Pinin’ Farina created the legendary Pininfarina coachbuilder and design house, and is the most powerful sports car ever to be designed and built in Italy.

Battista Anniversario cars will be hand-crafted in Cambiano, Turin, where Pininfarina has established its design centre and headquarters. Just five will be created, each priced from €2.6 million ($2.9 million), making the Battista Anniversario one of the world’s most exclusive automobiles.

Michael Perschke, CEO, Automobili Pininfarina, says: “For 90 years, the Pininfarina name has been at the forefront of automotive design and performance, and the Battista perfectly encapsulates these values. This ultimate expression of Battista, the Anniversario, is the distillation of everything that the brand has stood for in the past and which we now strive for in the future, creating a new pinnacle of desirability for sustainable and luxurious electric cars.”

Paolo Pininfarina, Chairman, Pininfarina SpA, says: “My grandfather always had the vision that one day, there would be a stand-alone range of Pininfarina-branded cars. The Battista Anniversario, named in his honour to mark 90 years of the carrozzeria that he started, is a glorious way to link our past with the future of motoring.”

The Battista Anniversario delivers an added level of dynamic ability and a bespoke heritage-inspired anniversary livery. Each of the five Anniversario cars is finished in a combination of three signature colours: Bianco Sestriere, the never-seen-before Grigio Antonelliano, and Automobili Pininfarina’s signature Iconica Blu.

Skilled artisans in Cambiano take several weeks to paint each car, building up the finish layer-by-layer and colour-by-colour – all by hand. The body is disassembled and reassembled three times so pinstripes in the three separate colours can be hand-painted directly onto the body.

Luca Borgogno, Chief Design Officer, Automobili Pininfarina, says: “Battista Anniversario features one of the most complex paint finishes in the world. The process of creating such a finish is akin to a great artist completing an Old Master painting. The result is more than just a visual work of art. Styling, balanced with ultimate performance, produces a genuine Pininfarina: the beauty of power and the power of beauty.”

Battista Anniversario is also equipped with the ‘Furiosa’ package, now available to specify with any Battista, comprising a revised carbon fibre front splitter, side blades and rear diffuser. Exclusively on the Anniversario, these parts are finished in a two-tone combination of exposed signature carbon and carbon tinted in Iconica Blu with pin stripes in Bianco Sestriere.

Besides the exclusive livery, a bespoke rear wing, rear aero fins and other bespoke details are unique to the Battista Anniversario. The aerodynamic enhancements enabled by the Furiosa exterior changes deliver increased downforce and greater stability at higher cornering speeds and a more dynamic balance to the car.

The Anniversario’s handling dynamism is further sharpened by a reduction in unsprung weight of almost 10 kg, thanks to a new wheel design which features centre-lock forged aluminium wheels. The rear wheels grow from 20-inch to 21-inch. Together with the performance-oriented tyres, the new rims enable the car to achieve its top speed of 350 km/h (217 mph). The optional ‘Impulso’ wheels complement the options programme available for Battista.

Further bespoke details include Anniversario’s unique seats, finished in sustainably crafted black leather and black Alcantara. In addition, the limited-edition hypercar features an engraved chassis plate, headlight engraving, ‘Anniversario’ script on the side wings, black anodised dedication door plaques with a homage to the founding of Carrozzeria Pinin Farina in 1930, signature ‘Pininfarina 90’ logos, and a specially engraved chassis plate between the seats.

The Anniversario shares its technical underpinnings with the Battista. Its carbon fibre monocoque chassis and body provide the strong foundation and backbone of the hyper GT, with its four electric motors generating 1,900 hp and 2,300 Nm torque, apportioned to each wheel by the most advanced torque vectoring system. This delivers a level of performance that is unachievable today in any road-legal sports car with an internal combustion engine. Faster than a current Formula 1 car in the sub-two second 0-100 km/h sprint, the Battista accelerates from 0 to 300 km/h in less than 12 seconds.

These levels of performance are delivered alongside a zero-emissions range of over 500 km, thanks to the car’s 120 kWh battery pack, mounted within a strong T-shaped carbon frame low down in the chassis.

The reveal of the Battista Anniversario comes as the dynamic testing phase of Battista accelerates, with impressive early results: powertrain prototypes are already achieving 80% of their performance capability, with further tests scheduled in the hands of legendary racer Nick Heidfeld, now Development Driver with Automobili Pininfarina.

Nick Heidfeld, Test and Development Driver, Automobili Pininfarina: “I have piloted the quickest road and race cars in the world. I’ve never driven anything as powerful as the Battista. The Battista is faster than many race cars, but it is not a pure racing machine. Drivability in all situations is its primary focus. We will now concentrate our time testing and developing Battista to deliver a car that’s at the forefront of technological possibilities and innovation.”

During the summer of 2020, a very limited number of potential customers will also have the opportunity to experience the Automobili Pininfarina Battista’s thrilling performance at special drive events created around the world. Overall no more than 150 Battista hypercars, including five Battista Anniversario cars, will be hand-crafted in Italy and are expected to enter into production and be with first owners by the end of 2020.