Pagani's second supercar touched down in Pasadena, California last night, making its North American debut. Unlike the company's previous model, the Zonda, the Huayra will be sold stateside. Rex Tokeshi-Torres and I attended the event at the Art Center College of Design, and we basically kept our fingers down on our camera buttons the whole time. There are plenty of photos after the jump, along with some of my own observations.
In brief, here are the important specs:
6.0-liter Mercedes-AMG M158 V12 twin-Turbo
700+ horsepower and 700+ torque
Sequential seven speed gearbox
Dry weight: just under 3,000 lbs
weight distribution: 44% front 56% rear
Price: around $1.4 million
And here's my two cents:
Horacio Pagani was previously a composites specialist for Lamborghini. Judging from the carbon fiber work on the Huayra, he must've been one of the best. The quality of the carbon fiber surfaces are simply beyond reproach, without any imperfections in the weaves. The same holds true for the aluminum and titanium elements. They're like little art objects on their own. In terms of details, I've rarely been as impressed as I am with the Huayra.
But something's bothering me. For some reason, all of these details don't come together to form one beautiful cohesive form -- at least in the gloss red and carbon that was shown. And this all relates to one of my often-used platitudes that I learned at Art Center: "A pretty woman doesn't need a lot of jewelry."
In person, I'm just not seeing a beautiful shape underneath all of that eye candy. And I feel like a jerk for saying that -- like the music director in Amadeus, who complained that Mozart's work had, "too many notes." In the matte silver paint scheme that shows up in Pagani's press materials, a lot of my complaints seem unjustified, though. Then again, I'm sure none of that would matter once behind the wheel of the Huayra.
In any case, here are some of the shots that Rex and I captured. The lighting conditions were atrocious, so hopefully we'll have another opportunity to do this car justice. Enjoy.
Even the Huaryra badge is CNC machined.
The carbon fiber on the side sills include a weave of titanium threads. This helps to maintain structural integrity in a crash. Carbon fiber shatters like glass in an impact, so in theory, the titanium should help keep it in one piece.
On display were some of the more notable machined elements. They reminded me of the Terminator arm in a glass case fron T2, which is to say, awesome.
The Huayra features four independent flaps, two in front and two in the rear, that help with high-speed stability.
That thing in the middle of the seat cushion is a knob that adjusts seat height.
The Huayra's fitted luggage was simply delicious, but accessing them requires opening the engine bay.
Brake pedal, or leftover shower head? ^mm
93aero says:
01:00 PM, 08/ 5/11
This car is INSANE in the best of ways.
revn says:
01:06 PM, 08/ 5/11
It's almost like a steampunk supercar. I'm sure the interior styling(well, all of it really) is something that won't be universally liked, but I love the way the buttons and switches look, how the shifter is exposed... insane is the right word for it.
bodyblue says:
01:24 PM, 08/ 5/11
Man...on a hot day.....with a big sack and short shorts that seat adjustment knob could cause some problems!
throwback says:
01:42 PM, 08/ 5/11
Mark, i agree it's not beautiful, but the details ARE spectacular. The shifter set-up alone is worth the price of admission.
daskiing1 says:
01:56 PM, 08/ 5/11
It is a stunning car, but how do you pronounce the name? It can't be as easy as saying it phonetically.
Top Gear trying to pronounce it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mQLqr5Q7FRE
compliance says:
02:21 PM, 08/ 5/11
omg the shift lever! Incredible, although I think I like the Zonda more. At least regarding the overall exterior.
bkapps says:
02:26 PM, 08/ 5/11
Mark Im glad you made it up to ACCD!! I was there until about 10:45 last night just blowing the battery on my phone with pictures and videos. PLEASE tell me you got a video of this thing starting up and revving? If not I DID! Its just an iPhone vid but if you want to add it, it sounds incredible! Also Channel 5 was there last night doing a mini-feature on it. This is why I love going to this school :)
firstwagon says:
02:42 PM, 08/ 5/11
From a tech point of view... amazing.
Stylewise, too German not enough Italian.
cjasis says:
03:06 PM, 08/ 5/11
Stunning details but I agree... as a whole, not exactly beautiful.
altimadude05 says:
07:30 PM, 08/ 5/11
This car is a work of art. It is not particularly pretty, but an owner of one would probably spend months going through and admiring all the details of the car.
sharpend says:
08:41 PM, 08/ 5/11
A Pagani is not beautiful in the traditional sense, but incredibly impressive none the less.
Modern F1 cars are similar - a stunning achievement, with interesting looks, but yet still something you want to see, hear, touch, drive. And if you have the means, to own.
Works of art and science, in other words.
chirsch3 says:
12:09 PM, 08/ 6/11
That luggage is a really smart idea makes it a usable super car ha
otherwise yes the zonda seems more stylistically appealing
but im sure this car drives amazing
hondacura4 says:
07:38 PM, 08/ 6/11
This thing sounds incredible! A mixture of that F1 scream and turbo whooshing/whistling is simply amazing.
zoomzoom22 says:
09:23 PM, 08/ 6/11
But it's just...so........ugly.
gts09 says:
06:51 PM, 08/ 7/11
The flaps on the front=epic win, i want to see it in action so bad, and i agree with altimadude05 in saying that the owner would be admiring newly found details for months after buying it, i remember last year when i bought my first car for myself and found the radio controls on the back of the steering wheel. one of the most exciting moments of my life. seriously. Bliss.
garrym says:
03:12 PM, 08/ 8/11
altimadude05, I agree it is a work of art and stunning with some facinating detail work. I've seen a video clip of the Huayra on the road and it has a most interesting sound from the engine bay at speed.
I admire someone who has the resources to create an automobile so bold.