Over the past decade or so the world of ultra-luxury automobiles has seen the rejuvenation of coachbuilding, where customers commission special one-off automobiles with totally custom designs (and sometimes engineering solutions). Many such cars are showcased during Monterey Car Week, which is where Automobili Pininfarina has staged the debut of the world’s first coachbuilt electric car, the Battista Targamerica.
The Targamerica was commissioned by a “renowned car collector” who already owns a standard Battista, with Pininfarina saying it’s “a complete expression of its owner’s personality reflecting their individuality and history, their tastes, interests and unique life story.” The project was started during last year’s Car Week, taking almost exactly a year, and as you might have gleaned from the name, it’s basically a Battista hypercar with no roof.
Pininfarina says much of the Targamerica’s design was inspired by the 1986 Ferrari Testarossa Spider that was created to celebrate Gianni Agnelli’s 20th year of being Chairman of Fiat, including using a similar color scheme. The Targamerica is painted Argento Liquido Gloss, which is nicely accented by Iconica Blu Gloss stripes along the lower body. The underside of the rear wing has hand-painted blue pinstripes that look very cool, and the ceramic-polished wheels are specific to the Targamerica as well. Obviously, the biggest design change is that there’s no roof, and the Targamerica has a unique rear deck with horizontal louvers, another nod to the Testarossa. Otherwise, the design is basically the same as the standard Battista.
The interior is swathed in supple tan leather with a black steering wheel and dashboard, and the headrests have an embossed brand logo. One of the silliest details is found in the bulkhead between the seats. That custom aluminum and glass case is a cigar humidor and holder, big enough to hold three cigars and back-lit to match the colors of the Battista’s different drive modes. There’s also a set of bespoke matching luggage that’s embossed with the Targamerica’s silhouette.
Pininfarina doesn’t give too many details about the Targamerica’s performance, only saying that it has the same 120-kWh battery pack and set of four electric motors that produce 1,900 horsepower and 1,726 pound-feet of torque as the standard Battista. The Targamerica is said to hit 60 mpg in under two seconds and reach a top speed of over 186 mph (a normal Battista will hit over 220 mph).
This is the first coachbuilt electric car, but it’s certainly not going to be the last, especially not from Pininfarina. Last year the brand revealed the B95, a limited-run speedster based on the Battista, and the team is surely working on other few-off and totally custom models. With Rolls-Royce already in the EV game, and other high-end companies following suit, we’re quickly entering the next chapter of the modern coachbuilding era.
