Elite Traveler Fall 2019

elite traveler FALL 2019 27

The Speedback Silverstone Edition is a bespoke automobile from David Brown Automotive in England

SILENT AND STREET LEGAL PININFARINA BATTISTA ELECTRIC HYPERCAR

For those unfamiliar with the finer milestones in car design, the name Pininfarina sounds oddly proverbial. Born Battista Farina, the postwar design magnate and coachbuilder focused on the drafting and construction of new car bodies for the likes of Ferrari and Alfa Romeo throughout his career. At home, he was the youngest boy of 11 children and quickly garnered the nickname ‘ pinin ’ (Italian slang for short). Merging work and home later in life, he formally added Pinin to his last name at age 68; his entire family followed suit. Since then, the Pininfarina design house has outfitted Jaguars and Rolls-Royces for nearly six decades, and more recently partnered with Pirelli and Rimac. In his honor, Automobili Pininfarina named its first hypercar the Battista. The 1,900 hp, fully electric coupe can outsprint Formula 1 cars and is certainly the most powerful Italian supercar ever created, prancing horses and raging bulls included. The Battista’s 120kWh

battery delivers power to four electric motors — one at each wheel — and boasts a range of 280 miles. Imagine if McLaren, Ferrari and Lamborghini had a distant relative (they more or less do, considering the cadre of designers and engineers tapped for this project). With a carbon-fiber body and glass-enclosed, teardrop-shaped cabin, the Battista traces some surely recognizable lines. Its slender front wing is offset by a voluptuous set of fenders exaggerating each tire. A trio of forward vents push air down and out, then pull it back via triangular inlets behind the doors. Inside, a pair of touchscreens on either side of the steering wheel will make those accustomed to the Bloomberg Terminal feel right at home. Each of the 150 zero-emissions hypercars will require a month to be hand-assembled at Carrozzeria Pininfarina. From $2.2m, automobili-pininfarina.com

JET AGE MEETS DIGITAL ERA DAVID BROWN AUTOMOTIVE SPEEDBACK SILVERSTONE EDITION Performance-led grand tourer meets continental cruiser in the Speedback Silverstone Edition, a bespoke automobile from David Brown Automotive, a Silverstone, England-based small-batch manufacturer. Employing the original chassis, transmission and suspension from a Jaguar XKR, Brown Automotive then custom-builds the aluminum body to house the 601 hp, 5.0 liter supercharged V8 vehicle. With its sleek, extended side skirts, enlarged side vents and prolonged hood, the Speedback could easily find its way into a James Bond film. In fact, 007 drove the XKR in Die Another Day , and the Aston Martin DB5 — an inspiration for the Speedback’s body design — appeared in Goldfinger. A tribute to the GT racers of yore, this vehicle is purpose-built to travel long distances — hence the two-seater passenger configuration with a custom-fitted, made-to-measure luggage set in place of rear seats — and handles the occasional country road with ease. Oozing vintage glamour and charisma, each Speedback requires 8,000 hours over nine months to construct, including the eight weeks the company needs to paint the exterior. (As a point of comparison, a Rolls-Royce Ghost takes roughly 450 hours to assemble.) Brogued and embroidered leathers as well as open-pore, scorched-wood veneers decorate the plush interior of the Speedback, while jet-inspired exhaust tips amplify the race- tuned engine. To fully engross the buyer and seduce younger generations, the company employs an interactive online customer portal. From the moment a car is ordered, the future owner can view photos, videos and a personalized blog with continuous updates. It’s worth noting that the Speedback isn’t currently homologated for North America, and there is a near year-long waiting list. It is limited to 10 production cars. From $771,000, davidbrownautomotive.com

Automobil Pininfarina’s first hypercar, the Battista