From start to finish, assembly of each Battista takes 10 weeks, while the hand-painted finish of the Battista Anniversario requires an extended 18-week schedule. Each individual Battista is assembled by 10 craftspeople, taking more than 1,250 hours. The bespoke design features and finish of the exclusive Battista Anniversario extend this up to 1,340 hours.
The Battista’s rolling chassis, comprising an electric powertrain, T-shaped battery, carbon fiber monocoque, and all electrical systems, enters the first zone for evaluation against Automobili Pininfarina’s strict quality standards. Its status is recorded here. This is the first of many electronically managed gates Battista must pass through as it makes its way through Cambiano.
The Battista begins to take shape as the primed Body-in-White is then bonded with the monocoque. With its ‘Goccia’ roof enclosing the cabin, the Battista gains structural strength and rigidity. Mounted on another bespoke rig, this two-day process measures, and records every dimension and parameter to the finest tolerances in a measurement area that has featured in the successful creation of special vehicles for 20 years in the center of the facility. The body is then dismounted from the chassis in preparation to move to a dedicated paint facility.
The standard paint cycle takes three to four weeks, using a new paint compound with a multi-layer metallic finish, in one of 28 colors inspired by the Piemonte region of Italy – the heartland of Automobili Pininfarina. Each panel is fitted to another bespoke rig to ensure perfect color matching. While the exterior paintwork is perfected, the dashboard and interior elements are fitted.
In the fifth zone, 80 percent of the vehicle is assembled, taking two days. An ergonomic lift with a bespoke jig helps the craftsmen and women achieve the tight tolerances required for elements such as the wheel arches and flat underfloor. The complex butterfly doors – sophisticated in design and integral to the vehicle structure – are also fitted at this stage, over two days, using another unique piece of mounting equipment that can support the weight of the doors and tilt in multiple directions to ensure fitment is perfectly aligned.
