SPY PICS: Pagani C10 shapes up as Huayra successor

Pagani’s next flagship hypercar has been spotted testing for the first time, predictably shrouded in an elaborate camouflage, but thanks to the proximity of the shots we’re able to look past the camo and identify some design specifics.

The front-end of the new Pagani hypercar, codenamed C10, differs considerably from the current Pagani Huayra it will replace, primarily due to the headlight design that looks to have been pinched off the fabled McLaren F1.

Said lights are mounted to the front of the wheel-arches and while their location is likely fixed, we anticipate the design to change to something far more dramatic in the car’s final production form.

It’s worth noting the design was apparently leaked via social media back in January, but the vehicle in the leaked image was confirmed to be an initial render dating back some 18 months prior…

Returning to the spy shots, the rest of the exterior design is decidedly Pagani, with plenty of long flowing lines, a low silhouette and classic cab-forward, mid-engine layout.

The new model’s admittedly short but impactful lineage – spanning the Pagani Zonda and Huayra – is perhaps most on display at the rear, where we find a rear apron blending key design elements from both the Zonda (square edges, tail-light clusters) and Huayra (curved centre panel, concave aero elements and diffuser).

Speaking of the previous model, fans will be buoyed to see the dainty, free-standing wing mirrors have been retained at the front of the doors.

An official nameplate for the new model is yet to be confirmed but sources close to the project have revealed the car is known internally as the Pagani C10. For those who like Easter eggs, the company’s original Zonda was branded the ‘C12’.

Details are thin on the ground at the moment, but insiders say that a Mercedes-AMG-sourced twin-turbo petrol V12 will once again lurk behind the cabin, pumping out between 634-656kW – around 100kW more than the first of the Huayras.

Our spy photographers also tell us the vehicle wasn’t fitted with any warning stickers regarding the presence of lithium-ion batteries for first responders – in the event of a prototype crash – which indicates that any meaningful form of electrification like a hybrid or plug-in hybrid system isn’t fitted, meaning the C10 should deliver what’s quickly becoming ‘old-school’ pure internal combustion performance.

Tipped to be revealed in the next month or so, the new Pagani C10 will likely hit global showrooms in mid to late 2023, when it could become one of the last truly analogue hypercars or supercars available.

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