Pagani arrives Down Under with Huayra Roadster

SUPER-EXCLUSIVE hypercar manufacturer Pagani has finally arrived in Australia, eighteen years since its first model, the legendary Zonda, went on sale internationally.

The Italian car-maker launches Down Under with the Zonda’s replacement, the fire-breathing Huayra in drop-top Roadster form, with outrageous performance and an even more outrageous pricetag to match.

With a global production run of 100 units and only a select few coming to Australia, the Huayra Roadster will be offered come with an astronomical pricetag of $5.5 million (luxury car tax included, but excluding on-road costs), even more than the rumoured circa-$5m that Mercedes-AMG is asking for its Formula One-inspired Project One hypercar.

The Huayra will be imported and sold exclusively through prestige specialist Zagame Automotive, which also retails for a number of other high-end brands including Ferrari, Lamborghini, McLaren and Rolls-Royce.

Production of the Huayra Roadster is limited to 40 units per year for a lifespan of about two-and-a-half years, with approximately two examples coming to Australia per year.

According to Zagame Automotive principal Bobby Zagame, one example has already been sold to an Australian customer, with a second buyer likely to be confirmed in the next week.

It is expected a number of special-edition versions will be built, as was the case for the Huayra Coupe and Zonda.

Mr Zagame said he does not expect Pagani to be a big money maker for Zagame Automotive, but instead it would act as an exclusive flagship marque for the importer.

The Pagani retail outlet shares space with Zagame’s Rolls-Royce and Aston Martin dealership in Melbourne’s Swan Street, Richmond, and it will be the only outlet in Australia. Pagani has just 24 dealerships globally.

The Huayra is engineered for right-hand drive and is compliant with Australian Design Rule (ADR) regulations, meaning it is street-legal – something many of the Huayra’s super-exclusive competitors cannot match.

Under the bonnet, the Huayra packs a monstrous 6.0-litre twin-turbo V12 courtesy of Mercedes-AMG, which outputs 570kW at 5500rpm, and more than 1000Nm from 2300-4300rpm, making it the second-most powerful vehicle on sale in Australia behind Ferrari’s ballistic 812 Superfast.

Power is channelled through the rear wheels via a seven-speed automated manual transmission, with an electronic mechanical differential mounted on the rear axle helping to get the engine’s prodigious power to the road.

Despite its massive engine, the Huayra weighs in at just 1280kg dry, thanks to a number of high-tech weight-saving measures including crafting the chassis from a mix of carbo-titanium and a new-fangled material called carbo-triax, which is a carbon-fibre and fibreglass hybrid.

The end result is that the Roadster chassis is 52 per cent stiffer than the Coupe released in 2012, while also 80kg lighter.

Two types of roof are available for Huayra owners – the first is a carbon-fibre hard-top that gives the Roadster the look of a coupe, and can be manually installed and removed.

The second is a fabric and carbon-fibre cover that can also be installed manually and stored inside the vehicle when not required.

Stopping power comes courtesy of carbon-ceramic Brembo brakes with 380x34mm six-pot front and 380x34mm four-pot rear callipers.

The Huayra rides on 20-inch front and 21-inch rear alloy wheels, shod in Pirelli P Zero rubber designed especially for the model.

Bosch and Pagani teamed up to develop the electronic stability control system for the Huayra, designed to safely channel the car’s momentous power in a way to give the driver full control of the vehicle. Five driving modes are available, consisting of Wet, Comfort, Sport, Race and ESC Off.

As the ultimate design exercise, only the best materials have been used to construct the Huayra. Even the smallest screws and bolts are constructed from titanium.

The key fob is made from a single piece of aluminium and moulded in the shape of the Huayra, which costs Pagani €2500 (A$3970) to make.

With production having just kicked off, about five or six examples of the Huayra are expected to arrive Down Under during the model’s lifecycle.