GENEVA MOTOR SHOW: Pagani Huayra BC revealed

Pagani has unveiled a hardcore follow-up to its extreme track-focused Zonda R and Zonda Cinque based on its Huayra coupe.

Called the Huayra BC, the revised hypercar gets its initials from Benny Caiola -- the first customer to ever buy a Pagani car and someone who’s said to have inspired company founder, Horacio Pagani, over the years.

Despite looking like a regular Huayra that’s spent a few extra evenings in a wind tunnel, Pagani says the BC is far more than a quick nip and a tuck.

In fact, the BC is claimed to not share to a single body panel with the Huayra coupe.

Instead, it has been completely re-designed with engineers concentrating on using the active spoilers and other aero aids, to cut lift, reduce drag, boost downforce and maximise engine and brake cooling.

Pagani also claims that under the skin the BS is the most technologically advanced Huayra yet and one that has a “completely different personality” to the regular coupe.

Created to offer its elite customers something more track-biased, Pagani said it shunned new hybridised engines to focus on creating the lightest hypercar in the world.

Weighing in at just 1218kg, it sounds like it might have achieved that aim.

Perhaps more impressive is that unlike the recent breed of track-inspired hypercars from Ferrari, McLaren and, most recently, Aston Martin with its Vulcan, the Huayra BC has been designed and developed to be driven on the road.

The transformation began with the existing 6.0-litre twin-turbo V12 that’s supplied by Mercedes-AMG. To boost power, Pagani has added a new sports exhaust with less back pressure.

Made out of lightweight materials like titanium, the new exhaust is said to offer a significant (unquoted) weight saving.

The result is said to be a “more intense and exciting delivery” but the headline figures is that power for the Huayra BC increases 66kW/100Nm to a mighty 588kW/1000Nm.

Performance figures for the BC, which are expected to be revealed at the car's Geneva unveiling, are thought to include a sub-three-second 0-100km/h time, especially since the seven-speed automated manual now comes with quicker shifts.

Traction is also said to have been boosted by a new electronic active differential, while even the drive shafts have been replaced with items derived from Le Mans endurance racers.

To help maintain control and improve handling, the BC has what’s claimed to be the lightest suspension on any road-going performance car -- 25 per cent lighter than the original coupe’s suspension.

The weight-saving extends to the brakes, wheels and even tyres. There are lighter Brembo callipers for the carbon-ceramic discs, bespoke Pirelli tyres that weigh three per cent less and new forged 20-inch front wheels and 21-inch rears.

Pagani will also supply even lighter 19/20-inch wheels wrapped in dedicated Pirelli P Zero Trofeo R track tyres that bring further savings and allow owners to pull an incredible 2g during cornering.

For those wealthy owners whose skill isn’t quite a match for the abilities of the faster Huayra, Pagani has also added a Track mode for the ESC that’s said to help even the most experienced drivers extract the fastest lap from the BC without a nasty brush with the scenery.

Inside, the final pieces of weight-saving continues with a less opulent cabin compared to the normal coupe. There’s also a new electric parking brake to cut the grams and an Alcantara-covered steering wheel for extra grip in the heat of track battle.

More info -- including performance figures and their expected astronomical pricing -- will be revealed next week at the show.