See Why This All-Electric Supercar Costs $2.2 Million

For over 70 years, Italian coachbuilder Pininfarina acted as the de facto design team for Ferrari, penning many of the prancing horse brand’s most memorable models, including the 250 GT of the 1950s, the 365 GTB “Daytona” of the 1960s, the 308 GTB of the 1970s, and the Testarossa of the 1980s. Since the mid-2010s, when Ferrari moved its design in-house, the company has kept busy with automotive commissions for a broad range of clients, as well as expanding into non-automotive realms like residential real estate, vending machines, and even toilets. But the founder, Battista Pinin Farina, always wanted to design a car of his own, under his own name.

“It was the dream of Battista to move from a business-to-business model to a business-to-consumer model, and now that has happened,” Dave Amantea, the chief of design for the recently founded Automobili Pininfarina, told AD shortly before handing over the key to the brand’s first model, the 1900 hp, $2.2 million, battery-powered Battista.

Capable of a top speed of 217 mph, and a sub-two second sprint from 0–60, the Battista is the flagship of the new all-electric automaker, which plans a full line of ultra-luxury electric vehicles in coming years, including an SUV, a grand touring sedan, and a convertible. But creating a design language for a new brand—especially one deeply rooted in producing cars for other luxury automakers like Alfa Romeo, Bentley, Cadillac, Maserati, and Rolls-Royce—is a challenge.

“Our goal is to create timeless design, and keep the design clean and pure,” Amantea says. “But we also want to prove that an electric vehicle can be beautiful, because we feel like the future of luxury is sustainable—not just materials, but a complete mindset.”