Pagani Huayra

Pagani Huayra at a glance

The Huayra followed the Zonda, including track versions such as the Pagani Zonda R. All Pagani models are in the Pagani catalogue.

Name and launch

The car is named after Wayra Tata, the god of wind in Quechua mythology. Pagani released the first official images online on 25 January 2011, and the car's world premiere took place in February 2011 at the headquarters of Pirelli in Milan.

Like the Zonda, the Huayra was designed by Horacio Pagani himself and built in small numbers at San Cesario sul Panaro. The coupé remained in production until 2018, with 100 cars built. In 2012 the British programme Top Gear named it its "Hypercar of the Year".

Design and body

The Huayra is 4,625 mm long, 2,036 mm wide and 1,169 mm high, on a 2,795 mm wheelbase. The coupé has gull-wing doors that open upwards from the roof line. Later versions use newer materials: the Roadster BC has a monocoque in a carbon-titanium composite called HP62, and the BC uses "carbon triax" and suspension wishbones in Avional aluminium alloy.

Engine and gearbox

The engine is supplied by Mercedes-AMG: the M158, a 5,980 cc 60° V12 with two turbochargers. In the original Huayra it produces 544 kW (740 PS) and 1,000 Nm from 2,250 to 4,500 rpm. It drives the rear wheels through a seven-speed Xtrac sequential gearbox with a single-plate clutch; the Roadster has a seven-speed automated manual gearbox, also from Xtrac.

According to Wikipedia, the coupé has a top speed of about 383 km/h and can corner at 1.66 g on its Pirelli tyres.

Active aerodynamics and brakes

Instead of a large fixed wing, the coupé has four independently controlled flaps - two at the front and two at the rear - and an adjustable front ride height. The system changes the drag coefficient between 0.31 and 0.37, depending on whether the car needs low drag or more downforce. Under hard braking the rear flaps rise to act as an air brake.

The brakes are by Brembo, with six-piston calipers at the front and four-piston calipers at the rear, and carbon-ceramic discs of 380 mm diameter and 34 mm thickness.

Huayra BC and the Roadsters

The Huayra BC was unveiled in 2016. It was planned in 20 cars; Wikipedia's table lists 29, and the text says about 30 were built. With 562 kW (764 PS) and 1,218 kg dry, it was much lighter and more powerful than the coupé. See also our article on the Pagani Huayra BC.

The Huayra Roadster followed in 2017 with a removable roof and conventional doors instead of gull-wings, built in 100 cars until 2020. Pagani claimed up to 816 kg of downforce and 1.8 g of lateral acceleration, figures that Wikipedia describes as unproven. The Roadster BC (2019–2022, 40 cars) has 590 kW (802 PS), the HP62 carbon-titanium monocoque and a claimed 500 kg of downforce at 280 km/h.

Imola, Tricolore, Codalunga and the R

From 2020 Pagani built a series of very small runs:

• Huayra Imola (2020): five customer cars (six including a prototype), 616 kW (838 PS) and 1,100 Nm. Our article on the Pagani Huayra Imola tells its story.
• Huayra Tricolore: three customer cars (four including a prototype), 618 kW (840 PS). Wikipedia gives a price of €5.5 million before taxes at its announcement in 2020.
• Huayra R (2021–2026): a track-only car with a naturally aspirated 5,987 cc V12 developed by HWA. It has 625 kW (850 PS), 750 Nm, a 9,000 rpm redline, a six-speed sequential gearbox, butterfly doors and a dry weight of 1,050 kg. 30 cars were built; Wikipedia gives €2.6 million before taxes at its announcement in 2021. An R Evo with 662 kW (900 PS) followed in 2025.
• Huayra Codalunga (2022): a long-tail coupé in five cars, 618 kW (840 PS); €7 million before taxes at its announcement in 2022, according to Wikipedia. A Codalunga Speedster followed in 2025 in ten cars.
• Imola Roadster (2023–2026): eight cars with 625 kW (850 PS).

There were also one-off cars, among them the Huayra Lampo of 2017, created with Lapo Elkann, and the Huayra Epitome of 2024 with a seven-speed manual gearbox.

Legacy

The Huayra showed that a very small manufacturer could build a twin-turbo V12 hypercar, sell it in strictly limited numbers and keep it in production for more than a decade through ever rarer derivatives. Wikipedia's production table lists 100 coupés, 29 BCs, 100 Roadsters and 40 Roadster BCs, plus the small Imola, Tricolore, R, Codalunga, Imola Roadster and Codalunga Speedster runs. Together that is more than 300 cars, not counting one-offs and the R Evo. Its successor is the Pagani Utopia. The history of the company is told in our history of Pagani.

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