In early 2021 Maxim had the honor of trekking to Palm Springs to drive a most unique creation, the Pininfarina Battista, across both the Palms to Pines Scenic Byway and Chuckwalla Valley Raceway. Built around the EV powertrain of the vaunted Rimac Nevera—you know, the fastest electric production car in the world—the Battista was the first creation from Automobili Pininfarina, the manufacturer offspring of legendary design house Pininfarina. And the Italian firm’s first foray into its own branded automobiles after it parted ways with Ferrari in 2012.
Considering the beauty that Pininfarina blessed the automotive landscape with this past century—including such legendary Ferraris as the F40, Enzo, LaFerrari, as well as non–Prancing Horses like the Alfa Romeo Spider Duetto, Maserati GranTurismo and 1947 Cisitalia 202—it was all but predestined the Turin designers would deliver something timeless. And they did, penning what was easily the most beautiful and elegant EV the world had yet seen.
Of course the Battista was more than skin deep. Utilizing its astonishing powertrain, the Battista delivers blood-draining performance—try 1,877 horsepower, 1,696 pound-feet of torque and a 217-mph ceiling. More impressive than its velocity, however, is its acceleration and cornering. Thanks to its 120-kWh high-powerdensity battery pack feeding a quartet of electric motors, one on each wheel, the four fat patches of rubber simultaneously spool the pavement with full instant torque, perfectly calibrated to optimize takeoff. The Battista can time warp from zero to 60 mph in less than two seconds—a full second faster than über-motorcycles like the Ducati Panigale V4 and Suzuki Hayabusa, and even quicker than Lando Norris’s Formula 1 race car.
When we finally unleashed it on the Chuckwalla Valley Raceway, we experienced levels of thrust we’d simply never felt before. But the most powerful complement to that thrust was the silence; without the roar of a dozen cylinders blasting behind your head, all you can hear is the whine of electric motors meeting the “whoosh!” of the Battista’s sleek hood cutting through the hot Sonora desert air.
Fast-forward three years and Automobili Pininfarina is finally delivering cars, including the recent Targamerica commissioned by Michael Jordan, the first bespoke electric car ever delivered to a client. Revealed at this past summer’s Monterey Car Week, Pininfarina’s esteemed design team in Cambiano, Italy, worked hand in hand with said buyer to curate every detail, including a roofless profile requiring a thorough redesign of its carbon fiber monocoque, a gleaming silver and blue livery and even a cigar humidor.
However, stealing the stage of the Targamerica was perhaps an even more revolutionary concept of hypercars developed for the driving seat of America’s most feared Caped Crusader: Bruce Wayne. Yes, the Dark Knight, who over the past 85 years has meted out justice to villains like the Joker, Penguin and Riddler, all while delivering redemption to Gotham City.
elegance of the Dark Knight B95 Barchetta (Automobili Pininfarina)
The hypercar quartet consists of two trims, Gotham and Dark Knight, each deployed on their twin models, the Battista and B95 Barchetta. While the latter is a more traditional GT silhouette, the former embodies its namesake by removing not only the entire roof but also the windscreen, utilizing twin adjustable aero screens to create a wildly dramatic profile.
“The first time I was told about a potential collaboration I practically jumped out of my chair,” Automobili Pininfarina’s Chief Design Officer Dave Amantea tells Maxim. “I was so thrilled because in the early stages of Battista’s development, the character of Bruce Wayne and Batman, specifically Christian Bale in ‘The Dark Knight,’ served as the inspiration for our mood boards, sketches and design concepts.”
Amantea points out the organic synergy between the brands, underscoring how the innovation, sophistication and cutting-edge luxury embodied by Bruce Wayne—not to mention the philanthropic and technologic focus of the ultra-high-net-worth fictional character—are traits shared by the brand’s clientele.
To manifest Batman’s duality, the collaboration imagined the Gotham spec to highlight the gentlemanly, noble element of Bruce Wayne, while the Dark Knight trim leans into the shadowy technophile/crime-fighting alter ego. All share certain equipment tweaks, like tailgate shark fins and louver openings in the front and rear carbon-fiber wings to improve aerodynamics, in addition to Wayne Enterprises badging on the side skirts and roof, customized aluminum door plates, unique seat embroidery and Wayne Enterprises–inspired HMI display enhancements. Both Battistas receive a reimagined door and roof design with even larger curved glass to add natural light to the cabin.
The more subtle Gotham twins boast a shimmering “Argento Vittorio” champagne exterior, topped by a black “Nero Torino” roof and unique matte and gloss black rims. Complementing the elegant exterior is a sumptuous peanut butter–colored leather interior with bespoke quilting and matching stitching. Fittingly the Dark Knight slinks into the shadows, its glossy black Nero Profondo body and Nero Torino roof matched by a gorgeous black leather and Alcantara interior, contrast stitched in black and gold duotone. Ceramic-polished silver rims pop against the darkness.
Beyond the use of Wayne Enterprises badging, one of the more clever elements Cambiano designers thought up was incorporating the voice of Bruce Wayne’s beloved butler, aide-de-camp and let’s face it, best friend, Alfred Pennyworth into the vehicle’s interface. “We knew that it had to be authentic, and equipping the navigation system with a voice inspired by Alfred Pennyworth, the legendary Wayne family butler, is a perfect illustration of that,” Amantea points out. “I also love how both Battista and B95 harmoniously blend technical innovation and performance with that elegance, creating cars with a true sense of purpose.” Amantea sees one-off Automobili Pininfarina unicorns like the Targamerica and Wayne Enterprises collaborations as integral to the brand’s bespoke ambitions, and its “Dream Cars. Made Real” philosophy.
“They’re more than just engineering prowess; we’re creating individual works of automotive art, masterpieces that reflect the personality of the car but also inspired by the owner’s personality,” he muses. “Each car is as individual as their owner, and I take a huge sense of pride and satisfaction being able to create those works of art with their respective owners.”
