It appears that billionaire entrepreneur Bruce Wayne may have sold his Dark Knight and Gotham cars to make way for the B95 Gotham, a one-of-one model Automobili Pininfarina will debut on August 16 at The Quail, A Motorsports Gathering during Monterey Car Week.
Just kidding about the Batman connection, at least as the real buyer. This is Bruce Wayne’s new car, created by Pininfarina and Relevance International in collaboration with Warner Bros. Discovery Global Consumer Products (WBDGCP) for the Wayne Experience. The WBDGCP licenses Warner Brothers brands to toy, fashion, home decor, and publishing programs.
The B95 is a real car, not a mockup. The car at The Quail will not be for sale, but Pininfarina is building four different Batman-themed B95 examples based on the 1900-hp all-electric Pininfarina Battista. The Battista is a limited edition hypercar, and only 150 will be produced, including the four Batman variants.
Why make a car for Batman?
The Warner Brothers Discovery collaboration with Pininfarina is in observance of the 85th anniversary of the Batman superhero franchise. Pininfarina did not create Batman’s Tumbler, a paramilitary-style vehicle featured in The Dark Knight Trilogy. However, the B95 Gotham was conceived as the appropriate ride for Batman’s alter ego, Bruce Wayne.
The real-world performance of the B95
Batman is awesome, but the Battista is also impressive, even without the Bruce Wayne logos. The most potent car ever produced in Italy, the Battista is faster than an F1 race car. A 120 kWh battery powers four electric motors, one for each wheel, with a total of 1,900 horsepower and 1,728 lb-ft of torque. The Battista accelerates from 0 to 100 km (62.2 mph) in under two seconds.
The Battista has a maximum range of 300 miles on a fully charged battery, although that range is calculated using the European standard WLTP (Worldwide Harmonized Light-Duty Test Procedure) system, which is more optimistic than EPA ratings. The average difference is about 11%, so based on that rough comparison, a fully charged Battista could travel up to 269 miles per charge under the best conditions.