New Pagani - The……Huayra???
-Grant Hollingsworth
After the maniacal Zonda, Pagani had a monumental task in building a successor. Codenamed “C9,” the new Huayra is fittingly named after Huayra Tata, the god of wind of the ancient South American Aymara. Fitting, because Pagani’s latest creation will reach 230 mph thanks to a twin turbo 6.0L Mercedes V12 tuned by AMG. If the Huayra were to become its namesake, it would trump the highest sustained wind speed ever recorded in a hurricane by 40 mph.
Pagani has gone to great lengths to assure the Huayra is more than a simple evolution of the Zonda. It is more of a GT car, in opposition to the “road legal racer” moniker attached to the Zonda. With that comes a weight of just over 3,000 pounds with a full tank of fuel. Now, as light as that may sound, the Zonda’s number was around 600 less. With gull-wing doors to ease the driver’s strain of entry and a proper navigation system (before, only seen in the Zonda Cinque Roadster), the Huayra stands to plant a resounding stamp on the super GT market.
Like a machine from a ridiculous Michael Bay film, the Huayra literally changes shape. The only exception is the shape it transforms into simply extends its capabilities and performance level, instead of turning it into a world-destroying conglomeration of metal (so sorry to disappoint, Transformer fanboys). Not only does the car lower at speed – because we’ve all seen that before – but both front and rear flaps move, depending on conditions, to actively control the car’s aerodynamics. It’s a useful Transformer.
Pagani has set up the U.S. with its first chance at owning one of its cars. For the first time, Pagani will sell a car stateside.
Now, the only obstacle between you and an exquisite taste of Italian bliss is $1.4 million.
