In recent years, the race to build the fastest production vehicle in the world has been intense, with the winner determined by just a few tenths of a second. However, the gap between the new champion and the prior record holder is even smaller this time. In the quarter-mile category, we are only talking about 0.03 seconds.
Without further ado, the Pininfarina Battista defeated the Rimac Nevera, which completed the quarter-mile in 8.58 seconds in April 2021. At the Natrax facility in Indore, India, the fully electric Battista also completed the half-mile journey in 13.38 seconds. Hormazd Sorabjee and Renuka Kirpalani, who are members of the Performance, Test, and Validation Team for the Italian manufacturer along with test driver Stefano Costa, also witnessed the event. At the top of this page, a video from the occasion is attached.
Also broken were two more marks that weren’t as exciting but were still significant. The Battista was driven by Sorabjee and reached a maximum speed of 358.03 kilometres per hour (222.46 miles per hour) on the track, making it the fastest vehicle to ever enter India. Renuka Kirpalani established a new record for the fastest Indian female driver in the world by reaching 357.10 kph (221.89 mph) in response. It’s essential to remember that the Federation of Motor Sports Clubs of India (FMSCI), an Indian sporting organisation connected to the FIA, validated all of these records, including the quarter- and half-mile sprints, rather than Guinness.
Another interesting fact is that the Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2R tyres, which are presently offered to Battista customers, were mounted on all four corners of the Battista during the record runs. The hypercar’s quad-motor electric powertrain, which produces 1,900 horsepower (1,417 kilowatts) and 1,696 pound-feet (2,300 Newton-meters) of torque, was the only technical change made to the vehicle.
“This year, new Battista owners are excited to explore the unprecedented performance of this design and engineering masterpiece. These speed records – and independent tests – have validated our ambition to create a new generation of hyper and luxury car leading with Battista, whereby electric power delivers performance that is simply unachievable in the world of ICE powertrains,” Paolo Dellacha, Automobili Pininfarina CEO, comments
As a final reminder, Pininfarina hand builds the Battista in Italy and each example of the car takes approximately 1,250 hours to complete. Just 150 cars are planned to be assembled and each one of them costs at least $2.25 million.
