While daydreaming never hurt anyone, let's face it; how many of you will ever have the chance to sit behind the wheel of Horacio Pagani's latest hypercar? If someone happened to raise their hand, please free to send us an email and we'll get back to you before you can say Huayra.
Fortunately, there's some good news for all us non-millionaire daydreamers as the 700+ horsepower Huayra is one of the cars listed on the upcoming racing game, Need for Speed: Shift 2 Unleashed. The game is scheduled for release on March 29 in the U.S., March 25 in the UK and April 1 for the rest of Europe. You can get a virtual taste of the new Pagani in the trailer after the jump.
We have some pretty good news for Pagani fans with a hefty bank account in the States; the Italian firm is finally entering the U.S. market for the very first time with its new Huayra supercar. The company's previous model, the Zonda, was barred from the U.S. due to emissions restrictions, but that's not the case with the new Huayra.
According to Pagani Automobili's managing director, Francesco Zappacosta, the 700-horsepower exotic supercar will cost around $1.1 million and it’ll be available later this year initially through two select dealers.
The prohibitive price tag coupled with the fact that the Italian maker expects to reach its maximum production capacity next year producing only a few dozen cars annually, guarantees that the Huayra won’t be a common sight,.
The Zonda replacement’s future looks bright, as other players in the niche are either winding down production – the case of Volkswagen’s $1.3 million Bugatti Veyron – or are years away from presenting a worthy opponent.
Those lucky enough to get their hands on a Huayra are going to receive a truly high-tech and custom tailored exotic machine. For example, the body of the gullwing is constructed from carbon fiber combined with titanium strings, which prevents body parts from shattering. Inside, the instrument panel was designed by a Swiss watchmaker and is accompanied by a host of elements made from aluminum. But, ultimately, the customer dictates what goes into the car, as Pagani is ready to meet any specifications. “We see ourselves like a custom suit maker,” Zappacosta said.
Named after a South American god of wind, the Huayra is motivated by a brand new AMG-sourced twin-turbocharged 6.0-liter V12 engine producing 700HP and 1,000 Nm (737 lb-ft) of mountain-moving torque. No 0-to-100 km/h (62 mph) time has been released, but the 1,361 kg (3,000 lbs) supercar is said to have a top speed of 370 km/h or 230 mph.
An answer to this question can be given by a 28-year-old German who was driving at a high speed on a wet motorway. First, it was announced that the driver was going Pagani Zonda F Clubsport Roadsterat 320 km/h (198 mph) on the motorway near Spotorno, Italy. He then lost control of a vehicle and crashed into guardrail on the opposite side, he and his passenger were lucky to survive. But according to the recent information, the car’s speed was just over 100km/h (62 mph) when he lost control because of the bad quality of the road and standing water. The driver said that even at this speed “controlling the high powerful Zonda is almost impossible.” Apparently, the owner bought the car just recently. To give you an idea, this car costs about 1 million 200 thousand Euros.
You may be surprised to learn that the Pagani Huayra isn’t my cup of tea (that’s Anglo-speak for “ I don’t like it”). Conversely, I have a great amount of affection for the Zonda and its limited-run sister, the Zonda F. The Huayra seems more Spyker-lookalike than Enzo-killer, which many would agree was the first generation Z’s raison d’être.
I also like Ardalan Farboud’s Pagani Sei design study. It has the sort of unfussy slickness that the Zonda had and the Huayra lacks, while staying true to the brand’s tenets of being lithe, fast and using gratuitous amounts of carbon fibre. Farboud, a recent graduate from Coventry University’s Master of Design course, produced the Sei as part of his final year project.
Let’s take a moment to ignore the irrationality of studying the vital statistics of a car that does not nor will ever exist and dive right into it.
The Sei features two stainless steel subframes fore and aft of a carbon fibre tub, the former housing the axles and engine whilst the latter holds the interior and fuel storage. An aluminium alloy, AMG-sourced twin turbo 4.8 L V8 is good for a theoretical 1,200 hp (895 kW) coupled to a 6-speed semi-automatic gearbox. With up-shifts accomplished in an favorable fast 80 miliseconds, the Sei can accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h (0 to 62 mph) in a quick 2.9 seconds.
The car’s 1100 kg (2646 lb) kerb weight is supported by an F1-inspired carbon fibre, stainless steel and aluminium double wishbone suspension setup. The rear suspension is adjustable. 19 x 9.5 inch front and 20 x 12.5 inch rear carbon fibre wheels are wrapped in 265/35ZR19 front and 335/30ZR20 rear rubber.
Add to that a ceramic powder coated stainless steel exhaust, carbon ceramic disk brakes and E85 compatibility and you have one impressive (if completely imaginary) hypercar. There’s even a video that you can check out along with our comprehensive image gallery. Feel free to voice your opinion in the comments section below.
