Pininfarina Battista undergoes final wind tunnel and dynamic tests

As the Battista’s wind tunnel and simulation development programme picks up speed in Italy under the guidance of Development Driver Nick Heidfeld, Automobili Pininfarina has confirmed that the world’s first pure-electric luxury hypercar will make its Monterey Car Week public debut at The Quail on 16 August 2019.

Luca Borgogno, Design Director and his team will present an enhanced version of the Battista pure-electric hypercar featuring a refined front design to current and prospective clients, who are being personally invited to the company's private residence in Monterey.

Michael Perschke, Automobili Pininfarina CEO, said: “We enjoyed a successful first appearance at Pebble Beach last year with the Battista prototype, but for 2019 our dreams become reality. This limited-edition masterpiece is the world's first pure-electric luxury hypercar and we look forward to presenting it in a lightly evolved form to our clients. We have great technical insights to share and I am certain our guests will be excited to see what is coming next from our great team of designers.”

The Battista will be the most powerful car ever designed and built in Italy when deliveries begin at the end of next year. Rene Wollmann and Nick Heidfeld are working closely to tune the power, torque and vehicle dynamics programme for Battista to ensure every drive will be as thrilling as its breathtaking design suggests.

Rene Wollmann, Director Sports Cars, said: “The aerodynamic performance we witnessed with Battista in the Pininfarina wind tunnel was almost identical to our expectations following CFD modelling. Fine tuning the aero package using CFD, wind tunnel and dynamic simulation means we can confidently predict a significant increase in the potential range of Battista versus our original prediction of 450 kms on a single charge. This is fantastic news for future Battista owners.”

Harnessing the expertise developed during two decades of racing and developing Formula 1 and Formula E-winning cars, Heidfeld's time in the simulator has been focused on assessing and defining the driving experience offered by 1,900 hp and 1,696 lb-ft of torque, working closely with Automobili Pininfarina engineers to fine-tune aerodynamics, minimise drag and maximise cooling.

Nick Heidfeld said: “Driving an early version of Battista in the simulator was an amazing experience. The preparation, set-up and execution of the first runs of a brand-new hyper car with unprecedented levels of performance were excellent; comparable to any first simulation sessions I ran in my motorsport career. Most impressive was how well the car handled. But of course, as I expected, the sheer acceleration is totally mind-blowing and incomparable with any car I have experienced, from road or track.”

Just 50 Battistas are estimated to be available in Europe, 50 in North America and 50 in the Middle East and Asia markets, with the €2 million ($2.26 million) hypercar available to order through a small network of specialist luxury car and hypercar retailers.