First drive with the Pininfarina Battista GT: stylish attack vortex

First drive with the Pininfarina Battista GT
Stylish attack vortex

When Italy plays football against Croatia, it is usually very heated. Now there is the duel between the two nations on the asphalt, on which the Rimac Nevera competes against the Pininfarina Battista. The two e-hyper athletes are technically closely related, because the platform comes from the Croatians and the Italians used the technology to give the athletes a special touch. It’s not a great art when it comes to the name: Pininfarina Battista sounds like grandeur and stylish automotive tradition per se. This is also reflected in the design, where the Italians use more curved shapes than their Croatian relatives. At least in the home country of the hyper athlete, they are well received. At this year’s Concorso d ‘Eleganza Villa d ‘ Este, Pininfarina Battista won a design award.

Stylish attack vortex

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This also fits in with the GT concept of the Battista, where the muscle man can also have a comfortable side. The two technology brothers don’t care too much when it comes to muscles, weight and price. The Battista’s four electric motors produce a maximum of 1,400 kW / 1,900 PS (9 kW / 12 PS less than the Nevera) with an identical torque of 2,360 Newton meters. Since the weight is almost the same at just under 2.2 tons, there should be no winner in the sprint from zero to 100 km / h. Pininfarina doesn’t put the cards on the table yet. “Less than two seconds” is the cryptic name, with the Rimac it is 1.85 seconds. In terms of top speed, the Croatian is nominally ahead with 412 km / h compared to 350 km / h. The price is again tied: the Rimac Nevera costs two million, from 1.98 million the Pininfarina Battista. The “from” is important here, because there are no limits to the customer’s creativity. “Each Battista is unique,” says CEO Per Svantesson. After 150 copies it is over.

The first models should be delivered around April next year. Until then, the Italian engineers are still fine-tuning the systems. “In terms of hardware, the car is ready”; explains chief engineer Paolo Dellachà. The missing fine-tuning percentages become clear when the car is continuously fired on the racetrack: the Brembo CCMR carbon ceramic brake could be more controllable, the torque vectoring interventions are still too abrupt and the rear end is too lively when decelerating hard. “We have eliminated these problems by the time it is delivered,” promises Dellachà. That is why the former Formula 1 driver Nick Heidfeld will be working extra shifts in the near future. The aerodynamics are also still being tinkered with. “That’s a Pininfarina tradition,” says Per Svantesson and Nick Heidfeld adds: “The cooling is too good, we can still do something about it!” What will not change, however, is the unbelievable speed with which the four electric motors catapult the rolling projectile forward along the start-finish straight on the Circuito Tazio Nuvolari. While you rush to the braking point breathlessly, the kilometers per hour climb upwards at intervals of a tenth of a second. Impressive! Brute! Brutally!

The Battista gives a much more sophisticated image on public roads. The steering is precise and happily tells how the four wheels are so sociable. We already liked turning into fast corners on the racetrack, on the country road the Battista operates without any problems. The almost perfect axle load distribution 48 front to 52 rear, the low center of gravity and the fact that the elastokinematics, including the rubber mounts of the wheel suspension on the front axle and above all the stabilizer, are more rigid than on the Rimac. The more stable front end, together with the carbon fiber monocoque, not only contributes to the corner entrance, but also to the comfort. The Battista is supposed to be a GT, so a Gran Turismo which means something like a big journey. In order to fulfill this attribute, you shouldn’t peel yourself out of the racing seat shell with a stiff back after 200 kilometers. Speaking of range. The 120 kilowatt hour battery brings the Pininfarina Battista up to 500 kilometers and with a charging capacity of 250 kilowatts, the energy storage device is filled from 20 to 80 percent in just 25 minutes thanks to the 800 volt charging technology. The home wallbox is also painted in the corresponding color to match the car.

The Pininfarina Battista offers five driving modes: Calma (calm), Pura (pure), Energica (dynamic), Furiosa (rapid) and Carattere (character), in which various settings can be selected individually. It should be clear to everyone that a hyper sports car with a weight of 2.2 tons and 1,900 hp is not a designated long-distance passenger transporter. But in Calma and Pura, the chassis is as considerate as possible with the passengers. With Calma, the body wobbles a bit, which is why we prefer Pura. Especially since the Battista in Calma with 300 kW / 408 PS provides only 21 percent of its 1,400 kW / 1,900 PS and with 1,180 Nm only half of the maximum torque of 2,360 Nm. The implementation of the commands from the accelerator or accelerator pedal is also comparatively cautious. The more you turn the driving fun button, the power goes up: Pura: 745 kW / 1,013 PS, 1,416 NM, Energica: 1,000 kW / 1,360 PS, 1,888 Nm and Furiosa breaks with 1,400 kW / 1,900 PS and 2,360 Nm Hell go on and the Battista becomes a beast that can be tamed in a very relaxed manner. However, with Energica you leave everything that moves on the road behind. This is what happened on the acceleration lane to the autobahn, when an ambitious driver of a German premium product in the left lane really wanted to know, but had no chance even on this short stretch.

The Battista doesn’t look back anyway. And if it does, the image in the large rear-view mirror is fed by a camera. You get used to it quickly, which helps with the rather poor overview to the rear. The cockpit consists of lots of carbon, seat shells and three monitors, two of which are oriented towards the driver like a V. In the middle there is a kind of vertical smartphone on which the speed is displayed. Except for a piano bar below the main monitor, the interior is pretty clean. For example, you can adjust the seat using a small screen on the steering wheel. The driving mode and automatic control buttons are located slightly below the steering wheel on the left and right and protrude vertically into the passenger compartment. The unusual solution doesn’t bother you in the least, so steering and maneuvering is also possible without any problems. On the contrary: We like the metallic click when the driving mode button is pressed. You also quickly get used to the operation, especially since the driving program is named in the small cockpit monitor and highlighted with a suitable color. You can tell the Italians want to do everything a little differently. Thankfully, the urge to differentiate doesn’t drift too much into playfulness. Especially since the right seating position can be found quickly in this way, you can comfortably fit in the carbon shells even as a non-Italian and your head does not come too close to the roof.

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