The Geneva Motor Show is delivering some huge surprises this week, none more so than the most powerful road car ever - the Pininfarina Battista.

With claims that it can reach 0-62mph in less than two seconds, 186mph in less than 12 seconds and has a top speed of more than 250mph, the so-called hypercar would be impressive on its own, but the fact that all that oomph is being provided by an electric engine is amazing visitors to one of Europe’s biggest car shows.

Pininfarina is a name synonymous with some of the fastest and flashest cars to ever depart Italian shores, but then the company decided to go it alone just over a year ago, and produce cars under their own badge, there was obviously a huge weight of expectation.

Named after Pininfarina’s founder, Battista ‘Pinin’ Farina, and produced under the auspices of Automobil Pininfarina, the car has been funded by Indian conglomerate Mahindra Group, which since 2015 has had a majority stake in Pininfarina.

The challenge of designing a beautiful but beasty all-electric was a tricky one for the Italian designers, Tesla have proven that electric can be desirable motors, but without a chunky engine, Pinifarina’s chairman Paulo Pinifarina had plenty more considerations.

"We are designers, we are Italian. We could not compromise on the car's beauty," he said.

"Also, as we are designers, we are not tied to any particular powertrain like Ferrari or Lamborghini. So we could approach the design as a new frontier,

"It created different aerodynamics. We were able to explore and experiment.

"To have been able to design a car with such power, torque and speed, and yet emit zero-emissions, is, we think, truly outstanding."

And for those sceptical enough to suggest that all this pace and power comes at a cost on range, Pininfarina also boast that the hypercar can achieve 280 miles on one charge. Which at those speeds might give you an hour’s driving.

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