Automobili Pininfarina Battista Targamerica: the world’s first coach-built electric hypercar delivered to a client [Photo Gallery]

Automobili Pininfarina has removed the covers – and the roof – from a unique one-off car, Battista Targamerica, the world’s first coach-built electric hypercar delivered to a client.

Battista Targamerica will receive its world premiere at The Quail, A Motorsport Gathering as part of this month’s Monterey Car Week, the perfect venue for such an exclusive piece of automotive art. A design masterpiece, it is the first client-commissioned coach-built car from Automobili Pininfarina, and as such exemplifies perfectly the brand’s philosophy of ‘Dream Cars, Made Real.’

Commissioned by a renowned car collector and existing Battista owner, the design team worked intimately with the client to inspire and create an extensive list of personalisations that help it stand out as a one-off design and technical statement.

Hand-built by the atelier’s artisans in Cambiano in collaboration with Pininfarina SpA, it is a complete expression of its owner’s personality reflecting their individuality and history, their tastes, interests and unique life story. Immediately following the event, the car will take pride of place within one of the world’s finest private and highly curated collections of rare, classic and modern performance car icons.

Battista Targamerica features a striking silver and blue colour scheme along with a meticulous re-engineering of the body to suit the roofless profile and deliver a unique open-top driving experience. It also incorporates elements of Automobili Pininfarina’s award-winning PURA design philosophy, a futuristic vision of timeless luxury. In common with every Battista, it is a unique, hand-crafted masterpiece and a reflection of the client’s personality.

Paolo Dellachà, Chief Executive Officer at Automobili Pininfarina, said: “This is a seminal moment, delivering our first coach-built one-off vehicle to a client. Battista Targamerica, like no other vehicle before, demonstrates the infinite possibilities our highly skilled team can design and engineer. Our world-class artisans have delivered something truly special – the first electric open top hypercar designed specifically to a very exacting client’s own specification.”

Many details of Battista Targamerica were inspired by one of the most famous one-off cars designed by Pininfarina – the 1986 Ferrari Testarossa Spider, created for Gianni Agnelli to mark his 20 years as Chairman of Fiat. The car was a masterpiece of simplicity and elegance, just like Battista Targamerica. The stunning silver exterior finish enhanced with subtle blue and black detailing of the profile is a clear tribute to the Testarossa Spider, as are the horizontal feature lines of the rear luggage opening on Battista Targamerica.

The new car was commissioned during the 2023 Monterey Car Week, with development of this coach-built masterpiece, from conception to delivery, taking exactly one year and underscoring the painstaking diligence of the artisans at Cambiano. The vehicle contains several elements personal to the client, referencing their life and achievements.

A unique feature is its cigar holder and humidor, a completely customised element built directly into the cabin between the two seats. This bespoke aluminium and glass case exemplifies the elegant fusion of luxury with technology, embedded within the vehicle’s DNA as a reflection of its owner’s lifestyle and a statement of the vehicle’s truly personalised nature.

As a demonstration of the attention to detail, the space – which can hold up to three cigars – is back-lit and illuminated to match the corresponding colours of the five driving modes: Calma, Pura, Energica, Furiosa and Carattere, which are Green, Iconica Blu, Orange, Red and Yellow respectively.

Even the car’s name, Battista Targamerica, was a collaboration between the client and the design team, referencing its roofless body style as well as the country in which the car will be based.

Dave Amantea, Chief Design Officer at Automobili Pininfarina, said: “The Battista Targamerica is at the frontier of design. An exceptional vehicle that stands at the vanguard of performance and luxury. The gauntlet was thrown down for us to create something that uniquely represents the personality of this vehicle’s owner. This is the service we provide to clients, and the team has more than delivered. The result is our first coach-built one-off vehicle, a Targa that bears the badge of Automobili Pininfarina. Battista Targamerica will forever stand as a one-of-its-kind vehicle and will never be repeated.”

In keeping with the rarity of the vehicle, while retaining signature Automobili Pininfarina elements, the exterior is delivered in a pure, striking, silver Argento Liquido Gloss, detailed with Iconica Blu Gloss accents along the bodyside and aero wings in front of the rear wheels.

The rear underwing is hand-finished by an Automobili Pininfarina artisan, painstakingly painting Iconica Blu pinstripes the full width of the wing as a demonstration of the attention to detail.

The exterior look is completed with one-off, ceramic-polished five-spoke alloy rims with contrast black anodised aluminium centre caps. This is complemented by the brushed and anodised jewellery pack, with bespoke one-off door plates.

Inside, Battista Targamerica is upholstered in supple tan leather, with a contrast black leather steering wheel and dashboard. The headrests are bespoke, featuring an embossed Automobili Pininfarina ‘F’ logo, alongside unique décor and design details specific to the owner.

A bespoke tailored luggage set has also been specified, finished in the same tan leather as the upholstery and embossed with a Battista Targamerica silhouette. Such attention to detail guarantees that this coach-built one-off both reflects and complements the owner’s busy lifestyle and demonstrates the extensive personalisation that’s built into every Automobili Pininfarina vehicle.

Battista Targamerica shares the crown as Italy’s fastest road-legal car with the Automobili Pininfarina Battista. This electrified masterpiece delivers an unparalleled open-top driving experience, with its four independent electric motors combined with 120kWh lithium-ion battery delivering 1,900hp of power and 2,340Nm of torque. As a result, Battista Targamerica can accelerate from 0-100 km/h in less than two seconds, and has a top speed of more than 300km/h.

Andrea Crespi, Chief Technical Officer at Automobili Pininfarina, said: “Battista Targamerica is the result of unparalleled collaboration between our in-house design and engineering teams, as well as the client. This vehicle brings together superior on-road performance and stability, and a unique design. This commission forced us to challenge ourselves to deliver Battista levels of performance without the tensile support of a hard-body roof, pushing the team to deliver a creative, one-of-kind solution to meet our client’s needs.”

Creating Battista Targamerica drew upon decades of experience from Automobili Pininfarina’s team, headquartered in Cambiano, Italy. It is a fusion of extensive one-off bespoke design and material knowledge, alongside extensive manufacturing and engineering expertise – leveraging the full skillsets of Automobili Pininfarina’s over 100-strong team, spanning more than 20 nationalities. Altogether, it marks not just a landmark for Automobili Pininfarina’s commitment to unique coach-built vehicles, but also to the art form of luxury cars.

Automobili Pininfarina stands out as the premier provider of pure Italian luxury experience, with its bespoke curated vehicles tailored to the exact preferences of individual clients. Each vehicle is a unique, hand-crafted masterpiece and a reflection of the client’s personality with inspiration from Automobili Pininfarina’s artisans.