The Battista, Pininfarina's all-electric hypercar, has put on its finest tuxedo for what may be its final public appearance. This one's called the Novantacinque, which means ninety-five in Italian, and it's here to commemorate 95 years of Italian coachbuilding and impossibly lovely curves.
The Novantacinque is not a redesign. It's a tribute. And it wears its tribute paint very well indeed. The carbon-fibre body has been glossed in a shade called Rosso Gloss, a bright, liquid-looking red that is apparently very Italian. You'll also spot gold pinstripes along the flanks and even under the split rear wing. Why the bottom of the wing? Why not.
It rides on 5-spoke Iconico alloy wheels finished in what Pininfarina insists is Precision Polished Colourless. It looks like silver. They're fitted with black callipers and detailed in brushed aluminium to match the satin carbon and machined metal inside.
Step into the cabin and you're greeted by a set of Pilota seats upholstered in black Alcantara and leather, stitched together with gold thread. There are commemorative '95' logos stitched and stamped about, and the tactile bits like rotary dials are milled aluminium.
Despite the flourish, this final edition doesn't come with any added performance. Not that it needs to. The Battista's quad-motor setup still pushes out 1,874 bhp and 2,300 N · mm of torque. That's enough to launch this 2-tonne electric sculpture from 0 to 100 kmph in about 2 seconds, and to 300 kmph in 12. Top speed? 350 kmph, if your nerves and the road allow.
All this is delivered silently and instantly to all four wheels, thanks to the same drivetrain architecture as the Rimac Nevera. Which means that aside from the styling, what you're looking at is one of the most potent EVs ever to wear a badge.
Production for the Battista ends this year. Only 150 cars were ever planned, and Pininfarina is cagey about exactly how many Novantacinques will exist. For now, this is being billed as a singular commission, which sounds suspiciously like there's only one. If so, we might be looking at the literal end of the Battista.
Pininfarina calls it a pivotal milestone. The rest of us might call it a very expensive way to say goodbye. But if you're going to do a farewell edition, this is how you do it
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