Automobili Pininfarina's much-teased entry into the supercar space has been named, with what the brand is promising will be "the most powerful Italian car" to be called the Battista.
Named after the company's founder, Battista Farina (though the word also translates to Baptist in English), the car that was codenamed PF0 has some bold claims to live up to; namely that it will be the most powerful car ever produced by a nation famed for trotting our raging bulls and prancing horses.
Helping the carbon-fibre-wrapped EV supercar get there will be some staggering outputs, with the brand promising a whopping 1900bhp (1416kW) and 2300Nm. And that, readers, is plenty. So much, in fact, that the brand is promising quicker acceleration than a current F1 car, with the Battista able to clip 100km/h in "less than two seconds", and push on to a flying top speed of more than 402km/h.
What's more, the brand is promising a 300km electric range - though likely not if it's being driven in anger.
We don't know yet exactly how that power will be generated, nor even what the Battista actually looks like, but we do know they are expected to cost up to US$2.5m ($3.4m), and that Pininfarina has partnered with EV specialists Rimac for the Battista's important underbody bits.
The brand has allocated just 50 cars to the USA, 50 cars to Europe and another 50 to be spread between the Middle East and Asia (including Australia, presumably). So if you want one, get that cheque book ready.
Can the Battista live up to its claims? Tell us in the comments below.
Andrew Chesterton
Contributing Journalist
Andrew Chesterton should probably hate cars. From his hail-damaged Camira that looked like it had spent a hard life parked at the end of Tiger Woods' personal driving range, to the Nissan Pulsar Reebok that shook like it was possessed by a particularly mean-spirited demon every time he dared push past 40km/h, his personal car history isn't exactly littered with gold.
But that seemingly endless procession of rust-savaged hate machines taught him something even more important; that cars are more than a collection of nuts, bolts and petrol. They're your ticket to freedom, a way to unlock incredible experiences, rolling invitations to incredible adventures. They have soul.
And so, somehow, the car bug still bit. And it bit hard.
When "Chesto" started his journalism career with News Ltd's Sunday and Daily Telegraph newspapers, he covered just about everything, from business to real estate, courts to crime, before settling into state political reporting at NSW Parliament House.
But the automotive world's siren song soon sounded again, and he begged anyone who would listen for the opportunity to write about cars. Eventually they listened, and his career since has seen him filing car news, reviews and features for TopGear, Wheels, Motor and, of course, CarsGuide, as well as many, many others.
More than a decade later, and the car bug is yet to relinquish its toothy grip. And if you ask Chesto, he thinks it never will.
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