Electric Automobili Pininfarina Battista

0-62mph in less than 2 seconds…

It’s been a strange week; first there was the news that safety pioneers Volvo plan to restrict the top speed of their cars to 112mph, and then there was news of the Automobili Pininfarina Battista all-electric car with an insane 0-62mph of less than 2 seconds and a top speed of 217mph – and it’s street-legal.

The Automobili Pininfarina Battista hypercar produces an eye-watering 1,873bhp and 2,300Nm torque. You would think just accelerating would drain the battery, yet the 120kWh lithium-ion liquid cooled battery is hoped to achieve a maximum of around 280 miles before it needs recharging; though I’m sure that’s without pushing this car to its limits.

The chassis is mated to a carbon-fibre monocoque along with an aluminium and carbon-fibre subframe at the rear. The impressive powertrain has been developed in a co-partnership with Rimac Automobili, those Croatian specialists in all things electric hypercar.

Should you be thinking of getting a Pininfarina Battista you might, naturally enough, be interested to know a little bit more about the braking and stability. Carbon-ceramic brakes and 6-pot calipers will attempt to tame this beast of a hypercar and adjustable suspension and an active rear wing will help to make sure the car stays where it’s supposed to be – the battery pack is configured in a T-shape too, to help with balance and weight distribution.

We can expect to see the Pininfarina Battista in 2020, but only 150 units will be made available – that’s 50 each for the USA, Europe and the Middle East. Prices will figure in a range as equally eye-watering as the Battista’s speed and torque at an estimate of between £1.5 million and £2 million.

What you will get for such a sum will be the ability to fine-tune to your personal preferences, from upholstery right through to your stereo requirements. Ambient interior LED mood lighting and twin infotainment screens are likely to be part of the standard furniture in all cars.

Attendees at this year’s Geneva Motor Show were privileged to see three examples of the Battista. A striking Blu Iconica model with a tan leather interior was surely most eye-catching, though the two slightly more subtle satin grey and pearlescent white models could hardly be categorised as unnoticeable, especially with striking dark chrome trim.

The arrival of the blistering Automobili Pininfarina Battista in 2020 along with Volvo’s announcement for model year 2021 sees the motor industry being as schizophrenic as ever. There remains a desire for automobiles that allow you to live a heart-stopping driving life close to the limits, while the ever-safe Volvo sees the concept of pushing boundaries as something entirely different. Can both these polar-opposite ideals live alongside each other? Yes, they can – but for how much longer in an increasingly safety-conscious world?

Images: autoexpress.co.uk