There are show cars, there are hypercars—and then there is the Battista Novantacinque, Automobili Pininfarina’s shimmering one-of-one electric love letter to itself. Revealed at MAUTO in Turin, the city of its birth and now the museum of its mythology, this final edition of the Battista is not just a vehicle. It is an ode, a curtain call, and a crystal-encased mic drop rolled into one.
Yes, the Battista Novantacinque celebrates 95 years of . But in its mirror-polished carbon bodywork and gold flourishes, one also detects a celebration of rarity itself—where exclusivity starts to feel like a design principle.
A Work of Art, or a Farewell Performance?
Pininfarina describes the Novantacinque as “the pinnacle of bespoke luxury and performance.” It’s hard to argue. Every square millimeter of the car, from its Exposed Signature Carbon Tinted Rosso Gloss finish to the Iconico wheels and PURA Vision Gold livery, has been finessed like the Sistine ceiling. The cockpit, swathed in Black Leather and Alcantara, features duotone stitching, carbon satin, and gold-anodised aluminum as if it were the lobby of a boutique Milanese hotel curated by Michelangelo with a CAD license.
PHOTO: @Automobili Pininfarina Novantacinque
Inside, it’s sumptuous. Outside, it’s poetic. But what’s it like to drive?
That remains the unspoken part of the Novantacinque’s language—because while performance specs are all but confirmed to match the standard Battista’s (1,900 hp, 0–100 km/h in under 2 seconds, and a Rimac-powered electric heart), the silence is almost reverent. As if to suggest that in this case, the ultimate driving experience… might be standing very still while it’s on a rotating display platform.
When Exclusivity Becomes the Experience
This is not just a swan song for the Battista. It’s the last Battista. The only Novantacinque. A museum-quality object that just happens to move like a cheetah with an architecture degree. It marks the end of a line and the elevation of a philosophy: cars as couture, driving as afterthought.
Which prompts the question: has the hypercar officially become the haute couture of mobility? Something exquisitely impractical, emotionally opulent, and designed less for the road and more for the collector’s vault?
Pininfarina says the Novantacinque is made “to be treasured for generations.” That may well be true—but not necessarily driven by them.
PHOTO: @Automobili Pininfarina Novantacinque
The Showstopper Specs (Even if They’re Too Polished to Touch)
While Automobili Pininfarina hasn’t announced specific tweaks for the Novantacinque, it almost certainly carries the same beastly underpinnings as its siblings:
1,900 hp / 2,340 Nm torque via four electric motors
0–100 km/h in ~1.86 seconds
Top speed: 350+ km/h
Battery: 120 kWh T-shaped lithium-ion, developed with Rimac
Range: ~476 km WLTP (~300 miles EPA)
Chassis: Carbon-fibre monocoque, torque vectoring, carbon-ceramic brakes
The performance, in other words, is real. The speed is real. But so is the sense that this car may live most of its life under bespoke lighting, not storm clouds.
A Bit of Fun Before the Finish Line
To call the Novantacinque “excessive” would miss the point. It’s not built for balance. It’s built to dazzle. From the ’95’ gold-embroidered Alcantara knee pads to the bespoke chassis plates and golden anodized toggles, it’s a car you wear like a fragrance—more statement than vehicle.
And that’s perfectly fine. There are plenty of fast cars. There are fewer that dare to lean into their own mythos and declare, unapologetically: I am art first, motion second.
A Gentle Note for the Dreamers
One does wonder, however, whether there’s room in the electric future for hypercars that aren’t afraid to be touched, driven, or pushed to their limits. The Novantacinque may be Pininfarina’s final Battista, but we quietly hope it’s not its final word on thrill and risk. As electric luxury matures, the conversation must eventually turn from “how flawless can we make it?” to “how human can we let it feel?”
For now, though, this is a sendoff that leaves no seam unstitched, no carbon unpolished.
And in a world increasingly obsessed with software updates, the Novantacinque is gloriously, defiantly analog in its soul—even if its heartbeat is electric.
Verdict:
A stunning close to the Battista line, the Novantacinque is a jewel in motion—assuming anyone ever dares to put it in Drive.
