AVIATION LEGACY

Longines launches the new Longines Pilot Majetek.

BY ADRIENNE FAUROTE

unparalleled heritage. A brand long committed to the sophistication of performance as well as an evolving elegance, Longines has been synonymous with official timekeeping in the world’s most prestigious sporting events. In that same pioneering spirit, aviation has been in Longines’ DNA for more than 100 years, and to celebrate its connection to aviation and its pilot’s watch, the 1935 Longines Majetek Reference 3582, the watchmaker released the new Longines Pilot Majetek.

Taking inspiration from the first Majetek, a military watch used by Czechoslovakian pilots during World War II, the new Longines Pilot Majetek has maintained some of the original’s key elements. The timepiece features the same distinctive Arabic numerals as the original, but it also has new, streamlined luminescent baton hands and incorporates modern design elements, like the larger case size of 43 millimeters. In this case, we think bigger is better. On the outside of the enlarged, cushion-shaped steel case at 9 o’clock, there is a fitted commemorative plate marked “1935,” a nod to the year the original was manufactured. Another noteworthy update: on the 1935 model, the bezel and crystal with the marker rotated as a unit, but on the new model, the fluorescent “starting time indicator” is displayed under the sapphire glass, from which it is independent, and above the dial. The sapphire crystal glass is fixed in order to adhere to the new case’s water resistance of 100 meters.

The dial itself is quite stunning, with the contrast between the matte black dial and the white Arabic numerals coated with SuperLumiNova old radium highlighted by the railway minute marker, ensuring ultimate legibility. At the heart of the timepiece beats the exclusive Longines L893.6 caliber, equipped with a magnetically resistant silicon balance spring. In addition, the movement has a power reserve of up to 72 hours, keeping accurate time even when not worn for a few days.

AFTER ITS DEBUT IN 2007, THE FERRARI 599 SERIES QUICKLY became one of the most exclusive lineups produced by the legendary manufacturer. The series features the 599 GTB, the rare 599 GTO, and the ultra-rare 599XX. While the GTB has the highest production numbers by a good margin, the 2009 599 GTB pictured above says the opposite. This example is unique as it is equipped with a 6-speed gated manual, one of only 30 examples worldwide to feature this transmission. The rarity of this machine cannot be understated as it matches the production numbers of the 599XX, which is limited to just 29 units worldwide. Furthermore, this GTB features the same 6.0L V12 engine that can be found in the Ferrari Enzo. It produces a staggering 612 horsepower, capable of reaching a top speed of 208 miles per hour. Its exterior features flawless Nero paint, which is beautifully paired with a Natural colored interior. This one-of-akind machine is of showroom quality and deserves a front-row seat in your collection. Inquire today at classichemotorcars.com

YOU ARE TO BE FORGIVEN IF THE NAME PININFARINA RINGS a bell, but you can’t quite place any of their earlier cars. There’s a simple answer – they have been creating designs and fabricating bodies for some of the most beautiful cars in the world, but the glory for those cars goes to the name on the hood ornament, most notably Ferrari and Aston Martin as Pininfarina didn’t produce cars until now. And, boy, was it worth the wait!

First, let’s see a little history. Pinin Farina was the youngest (and probably the shortest) member of the Farina family. His given name was Battista Farina, but he was called “Pinin,” the term of endearment for the youngest and smallest family member, and, at five foot even, he was both. In 1930, the Farina family was already involved with creating car bodies, and Pinin did that for some time and then created his own company, calling it “Pininfarina” to differentiate it from his family’s “Farina” brand. Flash forward several years, he had had a hand in creating many aspects of the most beautiful works of rolling art ever made, which were sold under the more-famous names, like Lancia, Alfa Romeo, Cadillac, Fiat, Hispano-Suiza, Maserati, Peugeot, Rolls-Royce and others. Pininfarina’s designs and bodies graced some of the top cars in the world. For the last forty years, they’ve also had their hand in the designs of buses, trains, yachts, airplanes and private jets, so they’ve been busy with many conveyances.

Let’s look at the company’s efforts over the past few years. In 2015, Mahindra (the multinational car firm based in India) bought over 75% of Pininfarina and decided to create a hypercar under the nameplate of Automobili Pininfarina, and they christened the car “Battista”. Using the basic workings utilized by the Rimac Nevera (Rimac is the fast-growing Croatian automobile and hightech company founded in 2009 and which, as of 2021, owns 55% of Bugatti), the all-electric Battista is a force to be reckoned with. I first saw the completed model of the car in 2018, when it was on a roadshow to impress potential buyers and prospective investors, and it was gorgeous. It was not an operating vehicle at that time but the fit and finish of the body were superb and its style unique and stunning. It had its formal unveiling at the Geneva International Motor Show in 2019, but it wasn’t until very recently that I could see -- and drive! -- the finished product. I was amazed at how much it looked like the 2018 model; so many cars lose their special touches when it comes to production realities, but the living and breathing

(more on that below) Battista was stunning and was an unbelievable performer to drive.

There’s a certain reality to a car’s design, where “form follows function” is clearly the phrase of the day if you hope to be able to go from zero to sixty miles per hour in under 2.0 seconds and hit a top speed of 217 miles per hour (both of which metrics the Battista achieves). The hypercar needs a design that cuts through the wind but doesn’t become airborne at high speeds. Though I stayed well below the top speed (I was on Mulholland Highway and Pacific Coast Highway, after all), I can assure you that the acceleration numbers are accurate, and the top speed seems eminently doable.

The car is a very interesting and successful combination of beauty, comfort, performance and intrigue. It clearly has the stance of a champion, and it drew a big crowd wherever we stopped, no doubt because the misty green/gold paint radiated in the sun and because the car’s sound at “idle” (stand-by?) is completely unique. Let’s start with the sound.

Sound engineers play a big role with electric cars since those vehicles are inherently quiet – no exhaust sounds, no fan noise, no internal combustion engine (“ICE”) sucking in fuel and exploding it. The Battista’s engineers had two very interesting design goals –to give the car a “personality,” a signature sound that was unlike any other, and to provide the driver and passenger the aural feedback that, like an internal-combustion vehicle, makes more noise the faster it’s going and the more power that is being created. Investing a reported 2,000 hours in the process, sampling and combining all types of sounds, they’ve achieved their goals.

The first goal they achieved by using the sound frequency related to the sound of Tibetan singing bowls. The Battista uses a 54 Hz sound, which is three octaves lower than that of the Tibetan bowls (432 Hz), and that sound is not only audible from outside the car, but you can feel it when you touch the car when it’s on, as it literally is humming through the carbon fiber body. The Pininfarina folks not only wanted a sound that was unique but one which would increase the feeling of well-being by the driver. I can’t opine on how successful the car was at making me feel better but driving a $2,200,000 1,900HP hypercar on some of the best driver’s roads in the world had me feeling pretty, pretty good, even without factoring in the sound!

The second goal was very interesting, too, as ICE-powered cars mostly whine and growl in a way which is directly related to the power being expended and the acceleration and speed being achieved. What the Battista sound magicians did was create a sound which becomes somewhat louder and higher-pitched the more power that was being utilized and the faster the car was going. For those of us from the past millennium, where analog was king, driving an electric car that provided feedback which is directly related to the performance was a very welcome addition.

With this background in mind, you can imagine my delight in not only spending the day with the car but also having lunch with the team: Paolo Dellachà, Chief Product and Engineering Officer; Dave Amantea, Chief Design Officer; and Franziska Queling, Global Head of Public Relations. It is such a treat for me to be able to visit with the creators of amazing art and have them point out the features and design cures that were important for them in their work. Time with them added immeasurably to the joy of the day!

So, what’s it like to drive? First, one is firmly ensconced in a plethora of leathers, metals and carbon fibers which resemble a fighter cockpit designed by a high-end interior designer. The controls are easy to understand and operate, and all are laid out well for the driver. The seats are beautiful, comfortable and supportive, necessary criteria to meet when rocketing through the canyons. And the whole package together makes it easy to feel at one with the Battista (cue the Tibetan singing bowls here).

With 300+ HP electric motors on each of the front wheels and around 600+ HP electric motors on each of the rear wheels (let that sink in for a minute), the car is capable of some magic tricks, like slowing the inside wheels and speeding up the outside wheels on a corner to improve turn-in and overall handling. The effect is uncanny as the car feels like it’s on rails and seems as sure-footed as a panther.

As if anyone who bought a Battista would be concerned about range anxiety (since they also could have a chase truck (or helicopter) with a generator on board), it gets an estimated 300 miles on a charge. As only 150 Battistas are slated to be built, you likely won’t see one on the road very often.

My time with the Battista was coming to a close, and, try as I might, I could not extend the drive or take a quick run to San Francisco (from LA, at top speed with no traffic, that would take about one hour and forty-five minutes). One thing’s for sure – my Tibetan bowl would have been singing mightily on that run! Bravo Pininfarina!