Where do you even start with such a piece of engineering? The engine? Its lavish interior? That intoxicating exhaust note? We’ll get to all those things in this article, but first, let's just grab our breath and close our open jaws for a moment. This is a 2017 Pagani Huayra Roadster, a car that Horacio Pagani himself claims to be ‘the most complicated project the company had ever untaken.’
Complicated is rather a good word to describe the Huayra, as it’s a car that requires a true eye for detail to enable you to fully understand its many, many features in both performance and design. Sure, looking at it parked on the side of a street you’d know it was something special, but it’s only when you peer through the plexiglass rear engine cover or catch a glimpse behind the rear meshes can you appreciate the craftsmanship in this Pagani. It took six years to design and produce, with the Huayra Coupé already being a mightily impressive car. Much like any great artist, Horacio wanted perfection, and he would stop at nothing to reach it with the Roadster.
In almost every scenario, removing the roof from a car increases weight, mainly due to having to increase chassis rigidity and rollbars for safety, not to mention the weighty mechanisms used to power a car’s roof. Pagani however, had an ambitious target: to create a roadster that would be lighter than the Coupé, which was already the lightest hypercar on sale at the time. Talk about doing it the hard way!
The result is something quite extraordinary. Compared to the claimed dry weight of the hard-top Huayra – 1,350kg, the roadster weights in a whole 70kgs lighter at 1,280kg, making those dramatic gullwing doors on the coupé seem a little futile. Still, even the coupé’s dry weight is hugely impressive, and it’s all down to Pagani’s titanium-infused chassis that was made even stronger on the roadster. To shield from a sudden downpour, drivers have an extractable slice of carbon and glass which slots effortlessly into the open roof.
Something that’s equally as impressive is the Huayra’s engine: a 6.0 V12 that continues the brand’s affiliation with AMG. Unlike the original Zonda’s 7.3-litre AMG V12 (still one of the best sounding engines ever made), the Huayra’s beating heart brings the power as well as the noise, producing 753bhp, 23bhp more than the coupé variant and a whole 212bhp more than the Zonda.
All of these incredible elements pale into insignificance when you step inside the roadster though, as you’re greeted by the exquisite artistic flair you’d expect from one of Italy’s finest. The exterior carbon fibre flows effortlessly into the interior space and is complimented by a plethora of chrome and Alcantara. The low and snug seating position feels closer to a fighter jet than a vehicle, with many of the driving modes and infotainment buttons just a thumb-stretch away. This allows you to focus solely on the driving, or to simply listen to that V12 hiss and whirl just a few inches behind the seat.
This example is a true connoisseur’s choice, finished in a breath-taking shade of blue carbon with gold accents throughout. In the right sunlight, the carbon weave across every body panel is visible, adding a striking contrast to the bold gold stripe that runs parallel to the car’s side strakes.
This exceptional piece of engineering and design is currently available at Loris Kessel Auto SA with a price of $3,619,480 – a figure that is only likely to increase due to the scarcity and sheer drama of the Huayra Roadster.
This sponsored article has been produced and published as part of a paid partnership with Loris Kessel Auto SA. All information about technical state, history and other have been provided by the seller.
