The Pininfarina B95 is a 1,900PS thing of beauty | GRR
The Automobili Pininfarina B95 (the 'B' standing for Barchette and the '95' for the 95th anniversary of Pininfarina) has been revealed at the opening of Monterey Car Week today – its makers are calling it the world's first all-electric hyper Barchetta.
All about the numbers, the B95 produces 1,900PS (1397kW), gets from 0-62mph in two seconds and tops out at 186mph. Pininfarina will build ten, and – are you sitting comfortably – each will cost a whopping £3.8 million.
This number sounds entirely reasonable when you see the B95, which comes from the same people that designed visual delights such as the Ferrari Testarossa, Alfa Romeo Brera and, er, Mitsubishi Colt CZC.
Thankfully, there's not so much as a whiff of Colt about the B95. Based on the categorically gorgeous Battista, the B95 is Pinfarina's interpretation of classic-racer-meets-electric-performance, with a carbon fibre body draped over an EV skateboard chassis. Its long nose and deliciously haunches are worthy of specific praise.
The Monterey car gets a Giallo Arneis paint job that shimmers between gold and bronze (depending on what the sun's up to) and contrasts Black Exposed Signature Carbon and Bronzo Superga. A set of matt-black forged alloy wheels (20-inch at the front, 21s at the rear) with centre locks finished in anodised black, complete the look.
And we've not even mentioned the best bit, the B95's "world first" adjustable twin aero screens that move electrically – allowing you to choose between light buffeting or the full Gordon Ramsey hairdryer treatment – from the comfort of your Tan Sustainable Luxury Leather-wrapped seat.
It's enough to turn McLaren Elva owners – all 149 of them – green with envy, and the rest of the B95s interior won't help their mood.
The B95 offers vintage luxury in contrast to the paired-back McLaren. The Barchetta's vegan-friendly seats have headrests finished in Pied de Poule Houndstooth with electro-welded Pininfarina logos, while the dashboard's clad in the Tan Sustainable Luxury Leather as the main sections of the seats.
At this price point, everything is customisable. Still, according to the company, the aluminium door plates – with a black anodised finish and laser engravings – are a particular highlight. Pininfarina insists no two B95s will look the same, which should avoid embarrassment in (the improbable) event another owner rolls up on you at the traffic lights.
That we've yet to mention the B95's powertrain tells you everything you need to know about its styling. With a motor on each wheel, it uses the same setup as the Batista and, indeed, the Rimac Nevera, meaning the B95 is capable of spectacular four-wheel-spinning, mid-corner drifts, and the kind of straight-line performance that makes a conventional hypercar look laughably underwhelming.
Exactly how much power and safety assistance you get is controlled via the steering-wheel-mounted rotary selector, allowing you to choose between Calma, Pura, Energica, Furiosa and Carattere driving modes.
Powering the show is a massive 120kW T-shaped and liquid-cooled battery capable of 270kW charging speeds for a 20-80 percent charge in as little as 25 minutes.
And if an electric Italian doesn't float your boat worry not, we'll have news of a petrol-powered and thoroughly British piece of nostalgic exotica landing in Monterey later today.