2021 Pininfarina Battista - Nick Heidfeld kickstarts track tests, says it's "beyond anything I can imagine"

The electric hypercar space is truly heating up this year. While the folks at Rimac Automobili are nearing the end of the C_Two‘s development, Italian automaker Automobili Pininfarina is not too far behind with the Battista.

Former Formula One driver Nick Heidfeld has just driven the hyper GT at the Nardò Technical Centre in Italy. This is Heidfeld’s first track test since joining the company’s vehicle development team in 2019 (and as brand ambassador). Prior to this, he had been refining the Battista’s bespoke chassis tuning and software calibration.

“It has been really special to experience the Battista on the track for the first time. With the prototype at an advanced stage of development, we are testing Battista with around 80% of its potential power, the performance and acceleration is already beyond anything I could imagine,” Heidfeld said.

“What really surprised me was how natural the Battista feels on the track. We are creating a hyper GT to be enjoyed at all speeds, yet here in Nardò the cornering control and speed we achieved were exceptional. Minimal traction control and torque vectoring are active at this stage of prototype development, yet there is so much grip to exploit.”

“It was my first time driving on the Nardò handling circuit, so I spent some time looking at films of onboard laps online to familiarise myself with the layout. I quickly realised they would be of little use, because the acceleration of Battista is on another level to even the world’s fastest road cars.”

“To meet our aim of delivering a hyper GT, a car that can be enjoyed anywhere and in all conditions, we are developing Battista with two tyre combinations. The Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2R is our preferred performance tyre and combined with lightweight ‘Impulso’ wheels it provides an outstanding combination of maximum grip and feel, a perfect fit for a race circuit.”

“I have to say, that very honestly, driving the Battista prototype far exceeded my expectations. It’s like nothing I have experienced ever before. I can’t wait to try the Battista away from the track, chasing corners on mountain roads,” he added.

To quickly jog your memory, the Battista is said to get up to 1,900 hp and 2,300 Nm of torque, but different drive modes will offer different states of tune. For example, eco mode will see outputs reduced in favour of range, and the opposite happens when the equivalent of a race mode is engaged.

Just as a compraison, the Battista is said to be able to do the 0-100 km/h sprint in under two seconds, which is quicker than an F1 car. Apparently, it will do the 0-300 km/h sprint in under 12 seconds before achieving a top speed of at least 350 km/h, while the theoretical top speed is said to be 402 km/h.

Production of the Battista will begin in mid-2021. Only 150 units will ever be made, and each of them is individually handcrafted at the automaker’s facility in Turin, Italy. First batch of deliveries will also begin sometime this year.