As someone who counts the Pagani Zonda C12 S of 2002 as his absolute dream car, it pains me to concede that the Huayra, the Zonda’s replacement that debuted in 2011, wasn’t exactly the prettiest of cars. Nor were any subsequent variants – the BC, Imola and various other versions took it in ever-more extreme directions.
Then, right as Pagani were on the brink of showing off the Huayra’s replacement, the C10, it revealed the Codalunga. From one Pagani superfan to you all, all is forgiven. To my eyes at least, it’s absolutely gorgeous. It’s worth noting I’m quite partial to the long-tailed sports prototypes of the 1960s that inspired it, but I can understand why the heavily revised proportions might not appeal to some.
What are those revised proportions exactly? Well, it’s gained around 360mm in length, which is mostly contained in the engine cover – a monster 3.7-square-metre piece. That extra length tapers out much more gracefully than the somewhat stubby standard car, billowing out with rearranged lighting at the rear and a swooping underfloor. There’s no garish exposed carbon, there are no fins, no trinkets or addenda. It’s all about the coachwork. Just as the original Zonda was. That’s probably why I like it.
As with the cars that inspired it, the Codalunga could well find itself being more stable at a higher top speed. It’s certainly not much heavier for its added presence, coming in at a seriously impressive 1,280kg.
Are there any clues as to what we can expect of the Huayra’s successor, the as-yet unnamed C10? Well, the mules that have been spotted seem to share the top-mounted inlets of the Codalunga, and indeed the redefined Zonda-style front lights. We do know it’ll use the same 6.0-litre Mercedes-AMG V12 producing 841PS (618kW).
Our last question for you is, which ‘60s inspired supercar getting its Festival of Speed debut do you like the most, the Huayra Codalunga, or the Ferrari Daytona SP3?
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Photography by Phil Hay.
Keyword: Pagani Huayra Codalunga gets striking reveal at FOS