Pagani Utopia revealed

The covers have come off the 2022 Pagani Utopia, revealing the Italian marque’s new-generation hypercar in all its glory.

As the successor to the brutally fast Pagani Huayra, you’d be forgiven for expecting the Utopia to be fitted with some cutting-edge form of electrification and the latest multi-clutch transmission.

However, Pagani has stuck to its purist guns and has again turned to Mercedes-AMG for its twin-turbocharged 6.0-litre V12 petrol engine.

In this iteration, the powerplant churns out 635kW of power and a mammoth 1100Nm of torque, driving the rear wheels via a bespoke Xtrac seven-speed manual transmission and electromechanical differential.

An automated manual will be optionally available.

No performance claims have been made yet, but the Utopia develops 91kW/100Nm more than the Huayra which stopped the clock from 0-100km/h in less than three seconds and could top 380km/h.

The monstrous powertrain is wrapped in a carbon-titanium monocoque, with the entire vehicle boasting a dry weight of 1280kg – down from the Huayra’s 1350kg.

Double wishbone suspension is present at each end, as are adaptive dampers and a set of carbon-ceramic brake discs – grabbed by Brembo brake callipers – and forged aluminium wheels spanning 21 inches up front and 22 inches at the rear.

The wheels are wrapped in bespoke 265/35R21 and 325/30R22 Pirelli P Zero Corsa rubber.

Pagani says the Utopia’s styling is defined by its perceived simplicity and a distinct lack of “aerodynamic add-ons”.

However, every element is as functional in its design as it is stylistic, so much so the Utopia is even slipperier but still generates more downforce than the Huayra.

It’s immediately apparent this is a Pagani product, and there are certainly elements of both the Huayra and the Zonda in its design, especially at the rear where the familiar quad exhaust takes pride of place.

“The most difficult part of the process for Pagani has been to follow as closely as possible the original intention of creating a timeless design object, instead of one that follows the fashion of the period,” the company said.

The interior continues this “neither modern nor retro” theme with a layout comprised of classically styled dials, futuristic control knobs on the centre console, a semi-digital driver’s display flanked by more analogue dials, exposed shifter mechanism, burgundy leather and aluminium-look trim.

There’s a distinct lack of an infotainment interface, but plenty of high-tech gadgetry there too, including vehicle parameter control and drive mode buttons.

This mind-bending array of retro-meets-modern design cues and almost old-school power and drivetrain configuration is the result of feedback from Pagani’s “closest clients”, according to the marque, who said they wanted “simplicity, lightness and the pleasure of driving”.

Pagani founder and CEO Horacio Pagani said the Utopia is the result of “more than 4000 stylistic drawings, 10 scale models, one wind tunnel model, two 1:1 scale models and countless ideas, research and experiments on eight complete prototypes for a team effort that lasted more than six years”.

“We put our passion, effort and sacrifice into creating something timeless and cutting-edge in terms of technology,” he said.

“After being completely absorbed by this strenuous creative process, the ideals represented by the project became so intimate to me, that any attempt to describe it would have seemed inadequate.”

The initial run of Pagani Utopia coupes will be limited to just 99 units and all of them have already been “assigned to privileged enthusiasts”.

In the spirit of Huayra, a convertible version is also anticipated down the track, along with a spate of even higher-performance and more exclusive models.

No pricing has been announced, but it will be well into seven figures.

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