Fasten your seatbelt – the ultra-fast Pagani Huayra supercar redefines the need for speed
The Pagani Zonda redefined the supercar landscape back in 1999, stealing the hearts and minds of the public. It forced Ferrari and Porsche to respond with hypercars of their own, changing the face of high-end motoring forever. Now, 13 years later, Pagani has unleashed its successor – the Pagani Huayra – and it is assured of similarly legendary status. Resplendent in dark red, the car is certainly striking, if not as overtly pretty as the outgoing Zonda F. The front grille has just a touch of fish-mouth about it, but it’s the only weak point in an otherwise achingly beautiful design.
The Zonda’s DNA is clearly present, from the cab-forward stance to the signature Gatling-gun exhaust cluster at the rear. But the Huayra (pronounced “why-ra” and named for a South American wind) is a clear step forward.
The Zonda managed to capture the spirit of theatre, elegance and artisan culture in automotive form. And the Huayra is no different; it’s taken things to a new level. The exterior is spectacular at every turn. Even the hinges on the gullwing doors are exquisite. And the pinched rear could sit on a mantelpiece.
The interior is a more subjective experience; I think it may have strayed a bit too far and ended up looking like it’s escaped from a B-movie production of a Jules Verne novel. As with all other components of the car, everything is beautifully engineered and each material is of the highest grade. But it’s just a touch bling and the key that is shaped like a car looks plain odd.
The central touchscreen is very cool, and the switchgear is well worth the price, but it’s just a bit overpowering when viewed as a whole. With a bespoke car of this nature, though, everything is optional and anything is possible. What isn’t optional is the sheer attention to detail. Each one of the Huayra’s 1,400 bolts has the Pagani logo etched onto them and the naked carbon-fibre weave is perfect.
The engineering beneath is borderline scary. The chassis of the Huayra is a complicated blend of carbon-fibre with titanium fibres running through it, which allows Pagani to improve on the incredible strength of the Zonda and retain a 1,350kg dry weight. Then there’s the 6L twin turbo engine, assembled by Mercedes’ in-house tuning legend AMG especially for Pagani, that rocks out 720bhp and 737lb/ft of torque.
Twist that bizarre key and the engine barks into life, but the new turbo engine comes with a wholly different character and the note is muted. That is, until we wheel out the car park and flatten the throttle. Then things get interesting.
There are only a few cars in this class. The Bugatti Veyron is the most obvious competition, but it is a much more refined and usable transport. Driven hard, the Huayra is an absolute beast – it is much edgier, aggressive and a lot more involving. It hits 100km/h in 3.3 seconds, 300km/h in 18 seconds and tops out at 370km/h. And it gets there in explosive fashion, like the world is imploding through the wraparound screen.
The gearbox, operated by paddle shifts or an ornate sequential shift handle poking through the metal gate, is a semi-automatic seven speed. Pagani has gone against the grain of seamless shifts, and even engineered in a satisfying thump with each gear change. It’s an interesting throwback to an older time, and it feels like the lowest tech piece on the car.
But it’s under heavy braking and in the corners that the Huayra gets really interesting, because that’s when the active ride height and aerodynamics come in to play. When I stamp on the brakes for a high-speed bend, the front lifts, compensating for what’s about to come. The car actually fights the inevitable, with the front dipping as the brakes bite, giving the two elevators at the trailing edge of the car and ailerons in the nose the chance to work their magic.
In simple terms, each corner of the car can react in fractions of a second to the forces of pitch, roll, yaw and lift – to keep the car flat, consistent and stable through the bend. It’s like an invisible force is keeping the car stuck to the tarmac and moving forward at an insane rate.
The Huayra rips through corners and you start to lose respect for the road ahead. It’s just that good, and maybe even better than the Veyron thanks to its lighter weight, lower inertia and responsiveness at the wheel.
Of course this is all with the traction control firmly on. With the controls turned down (or off), the Huayra kicks its tail out for fun, and can be more than a handful on track or a country road. In skilled hands, though, the Huayra could easily prove the fastest car in this class – or any class. The Pagani Huayra is an icon in the making.
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