At €7 million, the Pagani Huayra Codalunga is the brand’s latest sold- out Grandi Complicazioni hypercar.
Automobili Pagani may just be turning 25 years old in 2023, but this relatively “young” brand in the rarefied realm of hypercars is an “old soul” with enough chutzpah to stand toe-to-toe with the familiar contenders.
For instance, the brand’s first model, the Zonda, looks as fresh today as it did when it was first launched over two decades ago and we expect no less from the Huayra and its latest model, the Utopia.
Hugely inspired by the life’s work of Leonardo da Vinci, visionary owner-artist dreamer Horacio Pagani’s ascribes to the philosophy where art, science and emotion intersect, which serves to elevate his brand’s sublime and soulful performance cars into the lofty sphere of performance art.
For instance, you won’t look at any Pagani and think that it was the effort of a joint committee, or that its main selling point is to overwhelm you with the latest technology. In fact, Pagani makes it a point to retain mechanical feel, analogue instruments and to have as few digital screens as possible.
As electrified powertrains take root in the hypercar segment – bringing with them easy access to instant performance – it’s become quite a busy arena as traditional petrol hypercars and the new breed of hyper-EVs jostle for supremacy.
Tempting as it is to rely on hard technical specifications to grade a hypercar’s “hyperness”, we like to think that enthusiasts have evolved and are rightly attributing more weight to the emotional over the empirical.
Record-runs and the checklist of “must-beats” feed the hypebeast and are good for bragging rights in-the-moment, but such tit-for-tat snipes are the stuff of brands that have something to prove… and possibly not a lot else?
Don’t forget, though, that today’s record is already yesterday’s news and such hypercars need a hearty helping of je ne sais quoi, or an element of timelessness to them, as opposed to just another overqualified, well-padded résumé.
Besides, the collectible classics smashing auction records today have proven to be timeless in emotional appeal, so much so that they continue to appeal to collectors’ wallets.
Like many bespoke collectibles, you can’t buy the Pagani Huayra Codalunga (English for longtail) anymore, because all five units are already spoken for. If you’re wondering, the car we’re driving is the factory’s own demo-development unit.
However, it does give us an inkling as to the superlative levels of passion and attention to detail lavished on every car that leaves the Pagani factory, which incidentally, never tallies up to more than 50 units in total a year.
Like the passionate folks at the Pagani factory itself, the technical skills – or performance stats in the case of the cars – are the bare minimum expected. The brand looks past the hard skills for people that possess soft skills and eschew the “meh” and the mediocre, as they constantly push themselves towards perfection and beyond – because such is the demand and expectation from the very top.
Based on the Huayra Coupe, the Huayra Codalunga was commissioned by two Pagani collectors to participate in Concourse events, as well as to deliver stupendous cross-continent pace.
Such bespoke (mostly one-offs, but they’ll build up to five if you’re feeling expansive) creations are produced by the Pagani Grandi Complicazioni division (formerly known as Special Projects), which works closely with the clients commissioning the job on concept, design and, of course, performance.
However, the bespoke division is also involved in navigating the complex, legislative minefield across different administrative jurisdictions of the different countries, all of which ensure the Codalunga can be road-registered anywhere in the world.
Compared to modern overly styled hypercars, the cleanly styled Codalunga is constructed of lightweight composite materials. It is a measured effort that draws inspiration from the “longtail” Le Mans race cars of the 1960s, which were lightweight and designed to deliver low-drag and high-speed performance.
Even the choice of matte and semi-matte paint colours are consistent with the Codalunga’s nostalgic motorsports vibe, as are the massive 3.7sqm rear engine cover that conceals the monstrous V12 engine and exposed titanium quad-exhaust tail-pipes.
The cabin details are exquisite – ornate even – with a sense of theatre that will persist when you fire up the operatic V12. There’s the same sort of meticulous attention applied to even the details you can’t see that is reminiscent of the world of haute horlogerie.
Horacio thinks that all his cars should be driven… and driven hard at that. To that end, there’s a solid, satisfying tactile feel to the driver’s touch-points. Steering, seat, drive controls, brakes and that gorgeous, openworked transmission shifter show-stopper have been engineered to amplify the sensation of enjoying the Codalunga as it goes full beast-mode.
The roads are slightly greasy from the morning’s rain and we tread with trepidation, not least because of the Codalunga’s proportions, but because the full 1100Nm onslaught is likely to overwhelm and overrun the traction from rear wheels… and there’s the other matter of the €7 million ($10 million) sticker-price.
There’s good visibility out so there aren’t many blind-spots looking forward as we thread it through the alarmingly narrow streets on our way up to the curvy stuff. The good spread of the engine’s powerband means the Codalunga is perfectly tractable at pedestrian pace, with the 6.0-litre V12 barely stressed.
We open up the throttle as the roads open up, and the mild breeze transforms to a thundering typhoon and we’re blown away by the V12’s raging, elemental intensity – we quickly understand why the is named for the Andean God of Wind.
The Codalunga is no art piece that sits pretty on a pedestal, but a proper petrolhead’s driving machine. The rush from chasing this storm is of the analogue variety, as it serves to entice and engage in equal measure so you’re constantly committed and connected to it as you sit in the eye of the storm.
It’s unapologetically loud, with all the familiar evocative sounds that accompany a highly-tuned turbocharged performance machine. However, the Codalunga isn’t just another top speed trump, because it proves agile and light on its feet when the going gets winding, like the fluid, flickering whisper of a summer breeze as it flits and dances from grassblade to flower.
Hypercars like the Codalunga demonstrate that the future of sportscars need not necessarily be digital, especially if Pagani continues on its trajectory of intertwining art, emotion and science.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) About The Pagani Huayra Codalunga
– What are the Pagani Huayra Codalunga’s features?
5,980cc, twin-turbo, V12 engine with a 7-speed sequential transmission, max power of 840hp, max torque of 1,100Nm and maximum estimated speed of 270km/h.
– What is the acceleration of the Pagani Huayra Codalunga?
The Pagani Huayra Codalunga has an acceleration of 0-100km/h in < 3 seconds.
– How much is the Pagani Huayra Codalunga?
€7 million, in Europe
Discover the Pagani Huayra Codalunga here.
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(Images: Pagani)
