Pagani Huayra Roadster

If there’s one thing supercar builder Horacio Pagani wants everybody to know about his new Pagani Huayra roadster, it’s this: This is not just a Huayra with the roof removed. This is a brand-new car, even if it has the same name and general shape as the gullwing coupe that came before. Pagani says it applied lessons learned from creating the hard-core Huayra BC to every detail on the roadster. Although it uses the same Mercedes-AMG V-12 mounted amidships, the roadster is more powerful, lighter, stiffer, and said to offer better handling—all due to technological and materials improvements. Each of the 100 roadsters to be built will sell for $2.4 million, but leave your checkbook where it is: Every single one already is spoken for.

Braiding Beauty and Function

The roadster project started in 2010 but was scrapped and begun anew in 2013 around a simple theme: la bellezza, or beauty. Every element was redesigned to optimize aerodynamics, including a new front end with a fresh intake and splitter setup, a different rear diffuser, wider wheel arches, and, of course, a new door and roof layout. The roadster retains the coupe’s movable aerodynamic elements, including two flaps up front and two at the rear that work to maintain downforce. All panels are molded in carbon fiber.

One of the main goals was to make this car lighter than the coupe, and with a claimed final dry weight of 2822 pounds, the roadster takes the crown by 176 pounds. The central tub is constructed from a combination of two carbon-fiber weaves that Pagani calls carbo-titanium and carbo-triax HP52. The front and rear substructures are made from steel tubing. Along with making the car lighter, the roadster is said to be 52 percent stiffer, which is a surprising change in the conversion to a convertible.

The open-air experience is enabled by two removable roof arrangements. One is a carbon-fiber lid with a large glass panel that provides a coupelike appearance when installed. The other is a carbon-fiber framework covered with fabric that can be stored in the car for use in inclement weather.

Still AMG

The Mercedes-AMG M158 twin-turbocharged 6.0-liter V-12 was designed and built specifically for Pagani. During development of the BC, Pagani massaged the engine to 754 horsepower at 6200 rpm and 737 lb-ft of torque at 2400 rpm, and that output applies here. The roadster also carries on the BC’s seven-speed automated manual transaxle built by motorsports supplier Xtrac. It differs from most longitudinal mid-engine transaxles in that its guts are turned 90 degrees to reduce the polar moment of inertia and improve handling. An Automac Engineering–tuned ECU pairs with hydraulic and electronic actuators and carbon synchros for smooth shifting. The electronically controlled limited-slip differential was co-developed with Bosch. Overall, Pagani claims the gearbox is 40 percent lighter than the previous unit used in first-generation Huayras.

Brembo contributed its newest and best braking components. Ventilated carbon-ceramic rotors grabbed by six-piston calipers are employed up front, while the rear carbon-ceramic discs are squeezed by four-piston units. The stoppers live behind staggered-diameter, forged-aluminum APP Tech wheels measuring 20 inches up front and 21 at the rear. Pirelli developed P Zero Corsa tires specifically for this car; they help enable an astounding (and barely believable) 1.80 g of lateral grip, according to Pagani. We aren’t holding our breath that Signor Pagani will ever loan us one to confirm it.