Pagani’s third ever car is worth being talked about. Horacio Pagani first wowed the world at Geneva in 1999 with the Zonda, and then again 12 years later with the God of the Winds (Huyara). In 2022, the Utopia was unveiled and the successor of the Huayra and the newest edition to the Pagani lineup.
Horacio Pagani left Lamborghini as chief engineer after they had a disagreement over the use of carbon fiber. Lamborghini refused to buy an autoclave, the oven required to work carbon fibre, so Horacio quit his position, bought his own and founded Pagani as we know it today.
Many things were carried over from the Huayra to the Utopia; the beautiful art-deco design, mechanical linkages, titanium exhaust, equal length headers, and a ferocious twin-turbo AMG V12. New features included butterfly doors instead of the Huayra’s gullwing design, and the much anticipated 7-speed manual transmission. The side mirrors still retain the inspiration of “the eyes of a beautiful woman,” as Horacio Pagani has said in interviews.
While this car does have an 852 horsepower twin-turbo V12 with a 7-speed manual gearbox, the performance and spec numbers are not what make the Utopia special. The exterior design draws inspiration from 1950’s Bianchi bicycles and Riva speedboats, paying homage to the friendship between Carlo Riva and Horacio Pagani. The interior features no central screen; instead you are met with visible mechanical gears and linkages that work everything in the cockpit. The shifter mechanism remains exposed to be described as a visible piece of functional art. Every switch, button, dial and gauge is methodical in its approach.
While the Utopia may be fast, and aerodynamic, the Utopia is special because it is romantic, and dramatic in true Italian fashion. Built not to be the fastest, but to transcend supercar culture and to truly build one of the most beautiful cars of its time. "When I began to make the first renderings in my room where I have my drawing table, I immediately wrote the name Utopia." - Horacio Pagani.