Pagani Huayra Roadster

The objective is always to outdo oneself. Pure beauty in all shapes and surfaces - this is the philosophy behind Horacio Pagani's latest creation. The Pagani Huayra Roadster.

Pagani Huayra Roadster Photo by Pagani Automobili

From this foundation is built a masterpiece with a perfect balance of attention to detail and technological advancement. The combination of Art and Science: a founding principle and cornerstone to the philosophy of Pagani Automobili. This creed comes from the genius of Leonardo da Vinci, who pursued perfection in form and function at every stage of the process, down to the most minute component of the design. All Pagani creations are born from this relentless chase of beauty and passion. The Huayra Roadster represents an unbridled artistic showcase, featuring the most dynamic technology; this is Horacio Pagani’s open-air tribute to the gods of wind.

First presented to the public in Geneva in 2011, the Pagani Huayra Coupe marked a new era of hypercars. The Huayra Coupe became the gold standard, raising the bar for lightweight build and innovative performance-based technology. This formidable combination earned the Huayra Coupe the most accolades in the automobile industry, second only to the Zonda.

The Huayra BC was a natural evolution, raw power packaged into a 1,218 kg high-performance automobile, and, at 1.8 G, capable of the highest lateral acceleration ever seen on a car with road tires. Valuable experience and knowledge gained from relentless testing on the road and the most difficult circuits of the world enabled Pagani Automobili to build a solid technical premise from which to base all Research and Development. This foundation and expertise were crucial in the development of the technical solutions applied to the Huayra Roadster.

Design
The Huayra Roadster project began in 2010, with the ostensibly simple idea of a Huayra Coupe with a removable roof and conventional doors, as was developed for the Zonda Roadster in 2003. In 2013, the design was scrapped and everything restarted from the beginning of the design process. Each Pagani creation has a life of its own, every detail must have its own harmony in line with the spirit and soul of the machine car. The Pagani Huayra Roadster became a project independent of its predecessor, a machine car with its own soul.

If we think of the Huayra Coupe as a personification of elegance and timeless lines, the Huayra Roadster was to be the rebellious sister, shapely and beautiful, but with a sharp edge for those who are careless.
Horacio Pagani

From the very beginning, the Huayra Roadster door design followed the tradition of the Mercedes-Benz models of the 1950s, specifically the gullwing doors of the 300-SL, and its Roadster variant featuring conventional doors. In the end, the design closely follows the tradition of Pagani - the vehicle best represented in the Huayra Roadster design: the Zonda Cinque Roadster. The overall shape is smooth and immediate, where each line has a beginning and a definite end. Every last detail has been revised- every contour made more defined, every curve redrawn multiple times to arrive together in a cohesive, liquid form.
From the more aggressive and pronounced mouth of the car, framed by wider wheel arches, from the shape of the roll bars to the upgraded interior- every single element of the car has been scrutinized and redesigned. Every detail considered and developed with its own unique design language, indirect symmetry with aerodynamic requirements.

The bonnet has a fundamental function: an elegant vitrine containing both the technology and the art of the engine. By natural evolution, its design took on a life of its own, becoming a space with its own stylistic identity, itself worthy of being exhibited in an art gallery.

Unlike most modern supercars, the Huayra Roadster is almost fully exposed, with nearly every mechanical part visible, every last piece proud to be revealed. Staying true to the Pagani philosophy of respecting every last detail in the design, every piece of the car given consideration and attention. Even the smallest screw is designed to be both beautiful and functional.

From the beginning we set for ourselves some rather ambitious targets. The first, from a technical point of view, was to make a Roadster that would be lighter than the Coupé, which was already the lightest hypercar on sale at the time...
Horacio Pagani

Material
One of the ambitious goals set at the beginning of the project was to build a Roadster that would be lighter than the Coupe, improving the torsional rigidity of the frame. Armed with the expertise gained from the Zonda R, Huayra Coupe, and the Huayra BC, the Pagani engineering team further refined the development of carbo-titanium. Combined with a new form of composite material and developed for the Huayra Roadster, it is considered more advanced than materials used for Formula 1 cars. This complex and highly ambitious undertaking has allowed for a 52% increase in stiffness, at the same weight, thanks to the combination of the Carbo-Titanium and the Carbo-Triax HP52. The dry weight of the Huayra Roadster measures 1,280kg, about 80kg less than the Huayra Coupe, while also increasing in torsional flexional rigidity - an incredible achievement by its own right, from a purely technical standpoint.

The Pagani Huayra Roadster Engine Bay

The Engine
The Pagani Huayra Roadster is powered by the Mercedes-AMG M158 engine. The twelve-cylinder engine, built specifically for Pagani by Mercedes-AMG, has benefitted from the research and development done for the Huayra BC, delivering power of 764 HP at 6200 RPM, with a torque of over 1000 NM already available at 2400 RPM.

Equipped with the most cutting-edge technology, the twin-turbo, 12 cylinders, narrow angled 60-degree engine with 5,980 cm3 has been developed to satisfy both the international homologation standards and the even more stringent Pagani internal standards, resulting in a driving experience both relaxed and electrifying. The turbines have been developed to provide an immediate throttle response without delay, providing the driver with full control of the vehicle. The dry-sump lubrication allows for perfect engine response, even under the most extreme lateral acceleration conditions. The M158 motor is approved for the most restrictive EURO 6b and Carb environment regulations.

Aerodynamics
Huayra, the god of wind. The Huayra Coupe Pagani Automobili was the first automaker to develop a fully computerized Active Aerodynamic system on a production car. The concept has been further developed on the Huayra BC and brought to excellence on the Huayra Roadster.

Four flaps, two in the front and two in the rear, together with the front active suspension, work independently to ensure continuous optimum safety and considerable performance in all conditions. The active aerodynamic system works to keep the bottom of the vehicle always parallel to the road, increasing the efficiency of the air flows above and below the car, ensuring an optimal downforce on both road and track.

Beauty as a marriage of form and function: the central front section, the front extractors, and a flat bottom. Always well-defined lines. A great work of study, simulation, and testing on 1:1 scale models in the wind tunnel has been done to minimize turbulence and air flows which generally occur in an open-top car at the rear roll bar and front window level. The work carried out to ensure the Huayra Roadster with efficient downforce under all conditions has proved very important and took a long time and concentration. But it went hand in hand with the concept of style, creating a sinuous but defined shape, which reveals the dynamic and performance qualities of Huayra Roadster.

Roof
Pagani Huayra Roadster will be fitted with two types of roofs. The first consists of a very light carbon hardtop with a central glass element, very simple and quick to install. In this configuration it assumes the look of a coupe, with a glass roof that provides the passenger a unique brightness, protecting them from UV rays and also giving a sense of freedom typical of a Roadster even with the installed hard roof.

The second type of roof is a fabric and carbon cover that can be easily installed manually and can be stored inside the Huayra Roadster. The Soft Roof can be installed in a few simple steps and in case of emergency.

Evlear Magazine We write articles about Music, Cars, Road Rallies, Lifestyle, and Festivals.