Listening to Pagani’s New Track-Focused V12 Hypercar Will Give You Chills
Longtail? Check? Big wing? Double check. A sound that could move heaven and earth? What do you think?
Pagani has something loud in the works. The Italian hypercar company just teased the silhouette and screaming engine sound of what seems to be a new hypercar—likely a track-focused version of the Utopia or Huayra created by its Atelier division—and it sounds awesome. Though you'd never expect anything less from the brand that brought the world such brilliantly outrageous track cars as the Zonda R and Huayra BC.
The teaser video starts out with a blink-and-you'll-miss-it look at this upcoming hypercar under a gray sheet. You can see its silhouette through the fabric and it certainly looks like that of a modern Pagani, thanks to its high-arching front fenders and small bubble roof. Where it differs is at the back, where we see the unmistakable shape of a massive rear wing. The outline of the rear wheel arch is clearly visible, and the wing looks to end several feet behind it.
After the ultra-quick look at the veiled hypercar, Pagani shows off some flyover footage of race tracks around the world, like Imola, Catalunya, and Yas Marina, and you get to hear its high-revving engine. If this is indeed some sort of track-focused Utopia, that engine will be an upgraded version of the same 6.0-liter twin-turbocharged V12 made by AMG specifically for Pagani. The standard Utopia already makes 864 horsepower and 811 lb-ft of torque, so more power isn't really necessary, but who's complaining? If it's built for the track, it should also shed some weight off the Utopia's already lean 2,822-pound curb weight.
It's also possible we could be hearing the dulcet tones of yet another new Huayra, as Pagani's proven time and time again that it's unwilling to leave that model behind. The Huayra R bowed in 2021, but it's worth highlighting that the Zonda R before it got one last gasp in the from of the Zonda Revolución. Pagani also tends to take its time before delivering bonkers "R" versions of its cars, so it's arguably too soon for an uber-hardcore Utopia, anyway.
Whether Utopia or Huayra, Pagani's products tend to carve similar profiles and benefit from AMG's finest engineering all the same. Speaking of which, it's impressive that AMG and Pagani can tune that twin-turbo V12 to sound so good and rev so high. Despite packing two turbochargers, the M158 sounds naturally aspirated. I wish every automaker could work similar magic with their turbocharged engines.
Pagani didn't say when this track car will be revealed or what it will be called. However, it's good to know that the boutique hypercar maker's beautiful batshittery isn't going away any time soon.
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