Of all the amazing supercars and exotics at the inaugural Desert Concorso near Palm Springs, the obvious crowd favorite was the incredible Pagani Huayra. Its naked carbon fiber body panels shimmered in the desert sun, stopping people in their tracks. A literal rolling sculpture, the stunning Huayra is more than a supercar. It’s a hypercar.
While a “base” Pagani Huayra cost somewhere in the neighborhood of $1.5 million, the display vehicle’s extras included its fully exposed carbon bodywork, interior and exterior aluminum trim, Pagani “Signature” leather upholstery and more that bump its price to $1.7 million. We’re not sure if that includes the available seven-piece fitted luggage set for $20,000. We’re also not sure where that luggage would fit.
Globs of previously molten rubber on the specially developed Pirelli tires reveal that the display car is not a trailer queen, and has clearly seen a few hot laps. Its quad-tipped exhaust note is angry and urgent, probably the way the car drives. Pagani contracted with Mercedes’ AMG to build a twin-turbo, narrow-angle, 6.0-liter V12 engine, mounted mid-ship. Output is 730 horsepower and 737 lb.-ft. of tire-melting torque. Transmission is a single-clutch seven-speed automated manual linked to a limited-slip rear differential.
Huayra (say “WHY-ra”) is named after Huayra-tata, an Andean “god of the winds.” And this car’s shape is specifically designed to tame and utilize the wind to its advantage. Active aerodynamics include four computer-actuated flight control surfaces, front and rear, that work independently of each other in microseconds to help stabilize the car at high speed. From a standstill, 62 mph (100 kph) comes up in about 3.2 seconds. Top speed is claimed to be 230 mph.
Based in Modena, Italy, the Pagani factory plans to produce only 100 examples of its masterpiece Huayra. Imported just in time for the Desert Concorso, the one and only Huayra in the U.S. on March 30, 2014 was the car on display. Successor to the Pagani Zonda, the Huayra is almost certified for sale in this country, and five more cars are standing by for shipment, presumably one to each of the five dealerships established in the U.S.
See Pagani Huayra 1 18 for sale on eBay.
