The exhibition marks the 500th anniversary of Leonardo da Vinci's death and celebrates it by revealing the inner workings of his complex mind and his fascination with motion – which he considered to be “the cause of all life”.
The Battista with its unique exterior finish will be featured in a bespoke enclosure in the British Library’s main courtyard from June 7 to 9.
The Italian-designed hypercar is set to redefine automotive motion, becoming the most powerful car ever produced in Italy, at the home of Pininfarina in Cambiano, near Turin.
From late 2020 the famous Italian Carrozzeria will hand-build no more than 150 examples of the Battista that has been designed by Automobili Pininfarina’s Luca Borgogno.
Leonardo’s Codex reveals the concepts and innovations in design that formed the inspiration behind his ideas and the engineering solutions to much of his design work.
Core to his inventions were the seamless integration of form and function, and the blurring of lines between art, design and engineering: principles for which Pininfarina S.p.A. has become renowned in its almost 90-year history.
Pininfarina S.p.A. has been commissioned by the world’s newest luxury car brand, Automobili Pininfarina, to design and hand-build the Battista to a challenging design brief from design director Luca Borgogno.
His challenge is for the Battista to be aesthetically beautiful, unprecedented in its performance and pure in its output, with classic supercar proportions, acceleration faster than a Formula 1 car, and a 300-mile (486km) electric range on a single charge.
“We are proud to be a part of ‘A Mind in Motion’ exhibition because we are proud of what Italian design has brought to the world. Leonardo was a true Italian genius, the first person to combine the disciplines of art, design and engineering – and from Leonardo in the 16th Century to Pininfarina in 2019, these principles remain strong.
“Italy is defined by design classics, whether that is Leonardo’s work, Palladio’s Teatro Olimpico in Vicenza, Pininfarina’s Cisitalia 202 or Mattè-Trucco’s car factory in Lingotto. The common theme between them is that they presented modern, elegant, innovative functions and design in perfect harmony for the first time. The Battista design brief is a breath-taking expression of this tradition,” said Borgogno.
It is anticipated that only 50 of the 150 Battistas will be available for the European market and the electric luxury hypercar is now available for order from H.R. Owen and Rybrook - two of the UK’s leading luxury car retailers.
Potential customers are invited to apply to own a Battista via an online service within the company’s website: Apply Now.
