Automobili Pininfarina has announced an exciting design collaboration with car culture icon Magnus Walker. This project is all about a one-of-a-kind version of the all-electric Battista hyper GT that blends Pininfarina’s luxury craftsmanship with Walker’s gritty urban vibe and motorsport roots.
The partnership with Walker came about pretty naturally, as Davide Amantea, Automobili Pininfarina’s chief design officer, explained. Back in August 2022 during Monterey Car Week—a big event celebrating cars in Northern California—Amantea was showcasing the Battista, their high-end electric hypercar, to a small crowd.
Among the attendees was Walker, who noticed Amantea rocking a cool pair of red, white, and light blue SB Dunk High sneakers he had designed with Nike. This caught Walker’s eye, and they ended up chatting. Amantea then invited Walker to Italy for a test drive of the Battista. What started as a casual conversation turned into a great friendship, fueled by their shared love of design and performance, leading them to form a partnership that combines their creativity and passion for innovation in the automotive world.
The collaboration kicked off during a cozy fireside chat at Walker’s garage in Los Angeles, where he and Pininfarina’s Chief Design Officer, Dave Amantea, explored how art, engineering, and personal expression come together in car design. Moderated by automotive journalist Jonny Lieberman, this conversation offered a sneak peek into the creative process behind the project.
“Ever since I was a young boy it has been a dream of mine to design cars, so it was a real honor and pleasure to work with Dave and the team at Automobili Pininfarina to develop this car. It was the perfect blank canvas to express my artistic creativity and personality at this moment in time: I took inspiration from the ’70s and ’80s to create this color blocking and strobe effect and turn it into something signature, bespoke and unique that I believe will be distinctive and alluring for decades to come.” – Magnus Walker
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Walker, known for his unique take on Porsche culture, referred to the Battista as the “perfect blank canvas” to showcase his vision. Drawing inspiration from the bold designs of the 1970s and 1980s, he applied color blocking and strobe effects to create a look that combines past and present styles. “It was a real honor to express my artistic creativity and personality at this moment,” Walker said.
“Magnus believes ‘You should build a car you love, not one others think you should’ and this perfectly aligns with Automobili Pininfarina’s own philosophy. We have unrivalled heritage as an Italian coachbuilder, creating bespoke, handcrafted pieces of automotive art that push at the boundaries of performance and design. Cars are more than just possessions but are living embodiments of their owner’s individuality and passion. Our collaboration with Magnus Walker is an exciting opportunity to show the world what this looks like through the eyes of a design icon.” – Dave Amantea, Chief Design Officer at Automobili Pininfarina
Only 150 Battistas will be made worldwide, but this custom design takes individuality to a whole new level, highlighting how a unique vision can stand out in the luxury electric vehicle market.
