NEWS
14 AUGUST 2019 AUTOCAR.CO.UK 19
Battista gets development boost
AUTOMOBILI PININFARINA
boss Michael Perschke says
that the recruitment of several
new employees, including
the former head of the
Mercedes-AMG One,
has greatly accelerated
development of its 1900bhp
Battista electric hypercar.
The Italian firm has hired a
number of key staff including
René Wollmann, who previously
led development of Mercedes-
AMG’s forthcoming electric
hypercar. Former Formula 1
racer Nick Heidfeld has also
been signed up as a test and
development driver, while
the company has recruited
engineering specialist Danisi
to aid development.
Due to go on sale in 2021, the
Battista features a powertrain
based on that in the Rimac
C_Two, with a motor on each
wheel, which Pininfarina says
w i l l p r o d u ce u p to 1 69 6 l b f t of
torque, a 0-62mph time of less
than two seconds and a top
speed of 217mph.
Since Wollmann’s arrival, the
front-end design of the Battista
has changed substantially to
improve the air flow and
reduce drag.
Asked about the impact
that the new staff have had,
Perschke told Autocar: “You
have development that goes
up steadily, but when people
like that come in with a ton of
experience, you can develop
with a really steep climb. When
th ey co m e to g e th e r, i t ’s l i ke a
Navy SEAL team. It makes a
hell of a difference – we’re also
spending less money, because
we now have the expertise to
know where we need to spend
and focus.”
Perschke added that the
recent revisions to the Battista
weren’t just about maximising
performance but also boosting
efficiency, increasing the range
from the previously announced
280 miles to more than 310.
The brand will show a ‘vision’
of its future design philosophy
at the Pebble Beach Concours
d’Elegance on 18 August, said
to offer hints about the family
of cars it is planning.
The finished Battista design
is set to go on display at
Monterey Car Week.
BMW V 8 POWER FOR 20 21 RANGE ROVER
Prototypes of the upcoming 2021 Range Rover have
been seen testing with a BMW-sourced 4.4-litre petrol
V8, following reports that Jaguar Land Rover and the
German maker had agreed a wide-ranging combustion-
engine partnership to produce electrified powertrains
together. It’s unclear if the same engine will be used in
the facelifted 2020
Jaguar F-Type, with
prototypes seen still
running the 5.0-litre
V8 t h a t w i l l g o o u t
of production as
Ford’s engine plant
in Bridgend, Wales,
closes towards the
end of next year.
New pictures show the
Battista on the move
for the first time
THE HANDSOME, NEW
BMW 3 Series is fl ying high
in its fi rst British Touring
Car Championship season.
Colin Turkington is set for
a record-equalling fourth
title, team-mate Andrew
Jordan is chasing him and
another makes title beckons.
The cars look splendid in
BMW’s traditional white,
blue and red. But they’ve
triggered a memory. Ahead
of the BTCC’s second visit of
2019 to Thruxton, let’s scroll
ba c k 30 y e a r s. Hav e t i n-t op s
ever looked better than
Prodrive’s boxy M3 E30s?
YouTube is a great time-
waster. Look up ‘BTCC
Thruxton 1989’ and you’llfi nd a BBC Grandstand gem,
complete with the soothing
tones of Steve Rider (still at
the helm) and FANTASTIC
commentary from the one
and only Murray Walker.
Those were the days of
four classes, when a bevy
of Sie r r a C o s w or t h R S5 0 0 s
ruled on boost. And on top
at Thruxton was devilish
c lub r a c i n g le ge nd Dav e
Brodie. Whispers he was
running illegal fuel sparked
a pre-race TV tirade drivers
wouldn’t give today: “They
prance around in their
overalls all day long, but
when it comes to getting
the business done they’re a
bunch of wallies,” sneered
‘Br o de ’. “A pa r t f r om A nd y.”
Ah, Rouse, whose title
record Turkington could
e qu a l. A nd y e nde d up w it h
another of his 60 BTCCvictories that day, but only
`
Frank Sytner has had more
rolls than Joe’s caff
a
RACING LINES
GET IN TOUCH
Damien Smith
after early contact with
Brode, who led easily until
a tyre blew out. Rider then
tells us Dave was running
illegal fuel after all...
Back in Class B, James
Weaver and Frank Sytner
- “he’s had more rolls than
Joe’s caff ”, slammed Brode
- went to war again in the
M3s. But this time the sting
was taken out by Sytner
hitting trouble. Cue more
TV gold. When asked about
their famously fractious
relationship, a droll
Weaver says: “Normally
when we get back to the
motorhome the atmosphere
is atrocious... but once we’ve
sat down and had a cup oftea, Frank and I get on very
well. There’s no animosity...”
The twinkle in his eye is
almost blinding.
The race was shortened
by a massive shunt for Robb
Gravett’s RS500 after he
clipped Phil Dowsett’s
Toyota Corolla at Segrave.
No s a f e t y c a r s i n t ho s e
days. The race rumbled on
as a blue BARC van parked
in front of the carnage to
‘protect’ the marshals. Only
a sea of fi re extinguishant
fi nally forced an early fi nish.
Ah, when racing was lethal.
John Cleland’s Vauxhall
Astra won Class C easily, as
he did all that year, to win
the overall title. That always
seemed unfair. In some ways
motor racing has lost some
of its earthy charm, but in
ot he r s it ’s s o muc h b e t t e r
today. Turkington’s title willb e muc h h a r de r w on.
M
O
T
O
R
S
P
O
R
T
I
M
A
G
E
S
/J
E
F
F
B
L
O
X
H
A
M
Sytner and Weaver
ruled BTCC Class B
in the late 1980s