Magnificent Details, Polarizing Styling: Pagani Utopia Hypercar
It’s only Pagani’s third car, but the Utopia shows the company knows exactly what it is doing.
Horacio Pagani has done it again. His latest supercar is once again a masterpiece of design and construction, mixing exquisite artistry and hand-crafted details with advanced technology to create the Pagani Utopia. The Utopia was then revealed in one of the strangest reveal-car color choices we’ve seen in a while.
Pagani Utopia
Pagani Automobili was founded 30 years ago by Argentinian Horacio Pagani, who had previously managed the composites department at Lamborghini. His first car, the Zonda, debuted in 1999 and (along with the Koenigsegg CC8S) shaped the modern supercar.
The company’s second car, the Huayra, launched in 2011, once again bringing new levels of performance and luxury to the market. After 11 years, it was time to do it all again.
One More Round for Hand-Built V12
At the heart of this beast is a 6.0L twin-turbo V12 built bespoke for Pagani by Mercedes-AMG, which is tuned beyond even the power levels of the track-focused Huayra R that came before it. The engine tears apart the world with 852 horsepower and 811 pound-feet of torque, with that torque arriving in a tremendous plateau from 2,800 rpm all the way to 5,900.
Pagani spent 2 years developing the new engine, making sure it was compliant with emissions regulations everywhere and dedicating three prototypes to the task. Impressive when plans call for just 99 production units to be built.
As is tradition for Pagani, the engine itself is a work of art. Complete with ornate cam covers and a burned titanium quad-pipe exhaust, it’s fit for a museum. Sadly, that’s where many of these cars will end up.
Manual Transmission Returns
The company wanted to make this a driver’s car, though, fitting an available manual version transmission. The default choice is an Xtrac seven-speed automated manual, the kind of gearbox you’d expect to find in a racing car.
Stiffer Carbo-Titanium Chassis
Pagani’s monocoque chassis uses the latest generation of its Carbo-Titanium and Carbo-Triax materials. The composites help lighten the car and make it more structurally rigid than any previous roadgoing Pagani.
That chassis supports the car’s inboard-mounted shock absorbers. The suspension is a semi-active design. Controlled by a new integrated dynamics box, the shocks are set up to attack curbs and stay stiff under braking on the track. At the same time, they’re meant to make this grand-tourer comfortable on the road using its multiple drive modes.
Functional Turbine Wheels
New wheels made by APP tech are stunning as well as functional. Measuring 21 inches in diameter up front and 22 in the rear, they come wearing specially developed Pirelli rubber. The tire choices include a winter option as well, for those looking to drive their near-900-horse supercar in the snow.
It’s the carbon fiber turbines in the wheel design that add function to form. They extract air away from the carbon-ceramic braking system designed by Brembo. Its 410mm front rotors and 390mm rear rotors make sure this beast can stop every time, on both road and track.
We’re Not Quite Sold on the Utopia’s Shape, Though
The bodywork is designed to make the car look timeless, Pagani says. The design process took 6 years and borrowed inspiration from colors, materials, and industrial design of the 1950s and 1960s. The shape is elegant in its simplicity, devoid of aero bolt-ons common to so many cars of its ilk.
We’re sorry if we don’t love the shape, though. It might use 20% fewer parts, and it might add downforce and reduce drag versus the Huayra, but it’s just not bringing out the passion in us. It might be Pagani’s choice to reveal the Utopia in what looks to be German Taxi Beige.
Astounding Attention to Detail Inside
Look inside, though, and any concerns about the shape evaporate. The attention to detail here is astounding. Analog dials sit astride the digital main screen, framed by a steering wheel machined from a single block of aluminum.
Hand-stitched leather surrounds driver and passenger, set aglow in the dark by clever use of accent lighting. The gearshift alone is a work of art. The gated mechanism sits proudly from the center console, with its inner workings on display for you to admire with every snick of the lever.
Pagani Utopia: Pricing & Availablity
Just 99 of the cars are planned, with prices to start from around $2.25 million. They’re also all already spoken for, of course.
Once the 99 are complete, expect enough special editions to fill the rest of the decade. Pagani is excellent at elevating the original expression with ever more impressive feats. Expect deliveries to start in the middle of 2023.
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