YELLOW FEVER

You'd expect gorgeous lines from Pininfarina; you might not expect 1874bhp and acceleration to make you nauseous. We drive the dizzying Pininfarina Battista

- RICHARD MEADEN

THE BATTISTA'S NATURAL FREQUENCIES DON'T readily resonate with those of the petrolhead. We interpret its rakish Pininfarina-penned lines and understand its speed well enough, but we prefer to converse in the relatable century-old language of cubic capacity, cylinders and horsepower, not kilowatt hours, lithium nickel manganese cobalt oxide batteries and permanent magnet AC synchronous motors.

No matter. These might be uncomfortable times for dyed-in-the-wool car fans, but if you embrace the fact that the EV supercar's job is in part to create a degree of dissonance, then the existential fear fades. Better, when presented with the opportunity to drive one, you're less concerned with the nomenclature and more engrossed in discovering how this new-age exotica speaks to you and works with the road.

As you'd expect from arguably the greatest of all Italian automotive styling houses, the Battista is an immaculate piece of work. Subtle, yes, but in shunning in-yer-face futurism it achieves a more classical elegance. This might seem at odds with the sledgehammer performance promised by its near-1900bhp Rimac-sourced powertrain, but the paradox between explosive pace and visual grace is something Pininfarina has clearly enjoyed exploring.

Indian ownership, Croatian underpinnings and engineering and manufacturing teams divided between Germany and Italy are a curious mix for any car, but Mahindra's discreet stewardship and the largely hidden nature of Rimac's EV hardware ensure the Battista is a cleanskin onto which Pininfarina has imprinted its own identity. And not just in the way the car looks. The extent to which Automobili Pininfarina's engineering input defines the Battista's dynamics shows admirable commitment and deft skill and brings meaningful authenticity to the project.