Pagani is back at it. Over the years, the ultra-exotic Italian hypercar company has made a habit of reviving its older models to create extreme, high-performance track versions. Even after the Pagani Huayra debuted in 2011, the brand continued to develop more hardcore incarnations of the aging Zonda. Now, it’s the Huayra’s turn as the older model, behind the brand-new Utopia, and its latest variant—the Pagani Huayra R Evo—is as exciting as you’d expect.
Earlier this week, Pagani teased the new track car by showing off its silhouette under a sheet and sharing its incredible exhaust noise with the world. Now, the sheet is off and the Huayra R Evo is here, looking as delightfully nutty as a hardcore Pagani should.
It has the same “Codalunga” long tail as the special edition Huayra of the same name, but it also sports a massive rear wing. The central upright of the wing works its way up the spine of the car and blends with the roof-mounted air intake. Speaking of that roof, the Huayra R Evo features two removable panels, on either side of the intake. With both panels off, the induction sound from its revamped 888-horsepower twin-turbocharged V12 spinning at its 8,750-rpm redline must be epic, right up to the point when your eardrums liquify.
Make no mistake, though: the Huayra is more than a pretty, roofless supercar. It’s a focused track machine with extreme aero, an all-new front lip, an upgraded diffuser, and fireproof racing bucket seats with six-point harnesses. It also packs upgraded suspension, carbon ceramic brakes, and bespoke Pirelli P Zero slicks (available in both dry and wet versions). The Huayra R Evo wasn’t designed to cruise Rodeo Drive and show off; it was designed to set blistering lap times. Pagani says aerodynamic downforce is up 45% over the standard car, and the open roof surprisingly increases downforce by five percent.
Pagani hasn’t released any pricing information yet, but it’s worth noting that the each of the 30 examples of the previous Huayra R the company built sold in excess of $3 million. Besides, you know the old saying. If you have to ask…
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