OPEN AIR ART SHOW
Meet the $5.5m roadster. Some call it a masterpiece
Pagani vehicles are analogous to Picasso paintings – high-end, high-priced artwork that can only be appreciated as a private acquisition by an elite few.
Australian multi-millionaires can now put themselves in that picture after luxury car importer Bobby Zagame (right) launched Australia’s first dealership for the exclusive brand in Melbourne this week by unveiling the Pagani Huayra Roadster.
Only 100 cars will be built globally and Zagame has secured “a few” of the exotic machines, with a starting price of $5.5 million. Each takes four months to build, handcrafted and engineered to exacting standards.
“This is a synthesis of art, jewellery and technology coming together to create the ultimate automotive masterpiece. A true collector’s item,” Zagame says.
“Pagani is beyond the realms of what we call supercars. These are hypercars. They exist in a different dimension. Until you see a car like the Pagani Huayra, let alone drive one, the whole concept of a Pagani is almost unimaginable.”
Paganis are built using a patented titanium and carbon-fibre mix exploiting the best properties of each. Rigidity is astonishing and weight minimal – the Huayra Roadster is just 1280kg, which is 70kg less than the coupe.
The carbon-titanium shell doesn’t need extra bracing to support the removable roof, which customers can specify as a carbon and fabric soft-top or as a carbon fibre hardtop with a central glass panel.
Power from a mid-mounted 6.0-litre V12 from Mercedes-AMG (570kW/1000Nm-plus) is fed to the rear wheels via a transverse sevenspeed auto. Performance is what you’d expect from a car at this price – 0-100km/h in about 3.0 seconds, on to a top speed of 370km/h.
Australian buyers won’t be restricted to track days. The Huayra Roadster is claimed to be the first hypercar to gain full street-legal certification – so that, should the owner desire to display this mobile artwork to the public, he or she can drive it to the office.
Zagame Automotive’s showroom is one of 24 globally authorised to sell the Italian machines. Other brands in the stable include Aston Martin, Ferrari, Lamborghini, Lotus and McLaren.
The Huayra – the name comes from Huayra-tata, a South American god of the wind – is the first production car to use a computerised active aerodynamic package intended to keep the bottom of the car parallel to the road, regardless of the camber of the corner. It reaches a spine-straining 1.8G of lateral force before losing traction.
The Brembo 380mm brake discs – made from a bespoke carbon ceramic compound – are tucked behind 20-inch front wheels and 21inch rears shod with Pirelli P-Zero Corsa tyres.
Bosch was tasked with helping to develop the electronic stability control and the Huayra Roadster has five modes: wet, comfort, sport, race and (for those brave or brilliant enough) ESC off.