All 99 of these are already spoken for
The Utopia is Horacio Pagani's latest automotive masterpiece. PHOTO FROM PAGANI
To say Horacio Pagani just builds cars would be like saying Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart just wrote music. The machines created by the Argentine-Italian businessman and engineer are much more than mere sports cars. If you ever get the chance to inspect one up close, you’ll quickly realize that they are true works of art. The attention to detail is positively insane, and the quality of craftsmanship is second to none.
Now, a new masterpiece has been unveiled. One to continue the story of the Zonda and the Huayra into the third decade of the company. Its name is Utopia, and where other companies embrace hybrid powertrains and complex technology, Pagani simply built what his customers asked him to.
Pagani is not out there to reinvent the design, but rather to continue the story of its first two hypercars. PHOTO FROM PAGANI
The result is a car that focuses on three things, according to the master himself: simplicity, lightness, and the pleasure of driving. Power still comes from a 6.0-liter twin-turbocharged Mercedes V12 that now churns out over 850hp and 1,100Nm.
Gear changes are done through either an automatic box or a purely manual seven-speed one that totally puts the driver in charge of his destiny. The shape of the Utopia is new but still familiar, and gently continues the immediately recognizable design language of the San Cesario sul Panaro-based firm.
A Pagani will always be a work of art inside and out. PHOTO FROM PAGANI
In a way, it feels like the Huayra Codalunga might have been a sneak peek of this brand-new model, as many of its gentle curves and dynamic shapes can also be spotted on the Utopia. Most notable is the absence of any big spoilers or other aerodynamic aids, with airflow and downforce generation handled just by the shape of the car itself. One of the trademarks of any Pagani is also still onboard in the shape of the center-mounted quad exhaust, which is made of titanium and weighs a mere 6kg.
The interior is typical Pagani again, with one tiny little digital info screen in front of the driver being pretty much the only nod to modern times. Everything else looks (or really is) analog, including the dials that tell the driver how fast he’s going and how the engine feels. The examples of Pagani’s dedication to relentless quality are numerous, and include a steering wheel made from one solid block of aluminum and an exposed gear lever mechanism that is as much a sculpture as it is a functioning part of the car.
Want one? You're better off looking for a scale model instead. PHOTO FROM PAGANI
It’s hard to believe that these machines are created by a team of just 180 highly skilled individuals, who manage to make up to 50 of them per year. The carbon monocoque of the Utopia features two new types of carbon fiber developed by the firm, and even the aesthetic parts are now made of a new version of the popular material that promises to be 38% stiffer than previous iterations.
Pagani even managed to get global certification for the car, a feat that required it to be crash-tested 50 times in various ways. Prices start at €2,170,000 (P124.38 million), but all 99 production cars are apparently already spoken for, so you’ll have to wait for one of the inevitable special editions later down the line. Or just give Horacio a call and ask for a one-off. He’s not only an artist but also a businessman after all.
Keyword: The Utopia is Pagani’s V12-powered vision of the future