There is nothing better than an “open” bodywork to listen to a V12 enginecombined with a manual gearbox. These are the two jewels that equip the Pagani Utopia Roadster with 864 HP of power and up to 350 km/h of maximum speed.
Horacio Pagani’s latest creation sits alongside its coupé sister, the Pagani Utopia, the car that inherits the Pagani Huayra and Pagani Zonda.
And thanks to its carbon-fiber construction and the use of other ultralight materials, the Utopia Roadster weighs exactly the same as the Utopia with a coupé body. Let’s find out together how it’s made.
Pagani Utopia Roadster, the exterior
The Pagani Utopia Roadster was developed in parallel with the C10 project that gave birth – 2 years ago – to the coupé version, the Pagani Utopia. The two body variants were conceived together from the very beginning, unlike the roadster versions of the Zonda and Huayra that were defined after their respective sisters with closed bodies.
Contrary to what usually happens, the Utopia Roadster does not weigh more than the Utopia coupé: both declare 1.280 kgthus leaving customers free to choose, without compromises. There is no difference when it comes to the doors, for example, because the Pagani Utopia Roadster also maintains the coupé’s refined opening and closing mechanism, with a butterfly movement.
To travel with the sky above your head, you position thehard top on a dedicated support, which also makes this component a design element, and a canvas hood which is housed in a dedicated suitcase that is placed in the centre, behind the seats.
The Pagani Utopia Roadster therefore offers 3 configurations, to be alternated based on weather conditions and customer preferences.
Even with this new body version of the Pagani Utopia theaerodynamics It was designed in the wind tunnel to achieve a low aerodynamic penetration coefficient Cx while still guaranteeing high downforce values, without using protruding appendages. The flows are therefore channeled into the sinuous shapes of the bodywork: from the wheel wells to the bonnets, with mobile elements such as the flaps and also with details such as the rear-view mirrors. Thus obviously also managing the cooling needs of the mechanics.
Pagani Utopia Roadster, the interiors
The Pagani Utopia Roadster stands out for specific details in its cockpit.
The mats, for example, are made with a texture reminiscent of a boat with “outboard” engines; and even the key has been redesigned, with a shape that recalls the profile of the Roadster. Whether in the open version or with the hard-top in position, the light that enters the interior of the car makes the experience peculiar compared to the Utopia coupé.
The interior trim offers customers a huge choice of colors and materials, with particular importance given to accessories. The two suitcases of the Utopia Roadster, for example, have internal carbon shells covered in leather and are tailor-made to fit into the compartments on the sides of the engine. They can be coordinated with the interior trim of the passenger compartment or create a contrast, defining details such as the zippers, the small leather straps that prevent noise while driving. There are also two other matching garment bags, which are positioned behind the headrests.
Looking at the dashboard, the center console, the instruments, the door panels, the buttons, the dials, the aim of giving the Utopia Roadster a timeless design clearly emerges, placing human interaction with the mechanics of the car at the center of the experience. The analog technology therefore emphasizes the beauty, elegance and functionality of elements such as knobs, hands, buttons and levers, to celebrate a charm that must last over time.
The steering wheel, then, being a symbol of a car itself, on the Pagani Utopia Roadster is made starting from a single metal component of 43 kg for the crown, the spokes and the hub, after the processing of a five-axis milling machine for 28 hours, until obtaining a finished piece of 1.6 kg. And the processing waste is reused as recycled material for other industries. Afterwards, an expert craftsman finishes it by hand, polishing and inspecting it.
The Utopia Roadster’s instrumentation is also analog, to reconnect the bond between driver and car that has been somewhat diluted over time, with the spread of digital displays. There is a strong reference to the world of craftsmanship and fine watchmaking, with the speedometer and rev counter that reveal part of their internal mechanisms.
In the center there are 4 dials, to monitor information such as oil pressure and operating temperatures of the mechanics even with the corner of the eye, thanks to the position of the hands. The only display in front of the driver allows you to manage the infotainment, satellite navigation, backup camera for reversing and colors for ambient lighting.
Pagani Utopia Roadster, engines and technology
On the Pagani Utopia Roadster the V12 engine It is even more at the centre of attention, thanks to the possibility of listening to it even when driving without a roof.
It is a 60° V12, 6.0 displacement and twin-turbocharged, developed by Mercedes-AMG specifically for Pagani as part of a collaboration born with the Pagani Zonda thanks to Juan Manuel Fangio, Argentine world champion with the German brand and an immediate supporter of Horacio Pagani.
The engine is not hybrid, it does not have any type of electrification and has a maximum power of 864 CV (635 kW) at 6,000 rpm and a maximum torque of 1.100 Nm from 2,800 to 5,900 rpm. The power delivery was conceived like that of a naturally aspirated engine, with a smooth response at low revs but at the same time immediate when you step on the accelerator, with a responsiveness that is not a given for a turbo engine. Furthermore, each engine is entirely assembled by a single craftsman, not by several people on an assembly line.
The drive is rear and the transmission was developed in collaboration with the British company Xtrac. The 7-speed manual gearbox is very compact, it is positioned transversely behind the engine and connects to a triple-disc clutch, light and adjustable.
Horacio Pagani has always been inspired by the visionary genius of Leonardo da Vinci, who saw the union of art and science as the highest expression of human creativity. This is particularly evident in the construction of the gearbox components: every single part of the mechanism is finished with the utmost care, as in the case of the polished knob or the titanium grille. For customers who wish, however, an AMT (Automated Manual Transmission) robotized gearbox is also available, controlled by levers mounted on the steering wheel.
As for materials, the Utopia Roadster features over forty different composite formulas. Among these, the Carbo-Titanium HP62-G2 and the Carbo-Triax HP62. Lots of carbon fiber, therefore, but the metal parts are also at the cutting edge of technology, to achieve maximum lightness. The 8 suspension triangles, for example, are forged in aeronautical aluminum alloy.
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The recent rebirth of Modena Design, a historic company owned by Pagani, also allows total control over every aspect of the production of components in aluminum, titanium and special metals, from design to engineering, up to manufacturing with the most advanced equipment currently available, which also includes the use of milling from solid. This technological sophistication has allowed the Pagani Utopia Roadster to maintain the same lightness as the coupé, with a weight of 1,280 kg.
The suspension is active, combined with the dynamic control system and an electronic differential to reduce understeer, with electronic traction and stability control to manage the great power available.
Pirelli, a partner of Pagani Automobili from the prototyping and simulation phase with the help of the most advanced AI technology, provides the Utopia Roadster with exclusive tires, equipped with sensors on the inside of the tread that become points of interaction between the car and the road surface.
With the technology called Pirelli Cyber Tyre2, the tire sensors send information to the vehicle stability control systems (including ABS, ESP and traction control). The Pirelli P ZERO Corsa and P ZERO Winter tires (standard) and P ZERO Trofeo RS (optional) are developed specifically for the Pagani Utopia, in 21” front and 22” rear sizes (P ZERO Corsa 265/35 R21 front, 325/30 R22 rear).
Pagani Utopia Roadster, the prices
The Pagani Utopia Roadster will be produced in 130 units, destined for customers all over the world, with a starting price of 3.1 million euros (local taxes excluded).
The official unveiling of the Utopia Roadster is scheduled for Monterey Car Week, an event that includes one of the world’s most famous Concours d’Elegance, Pebble Beach.
In this place the most beautiful cars in history have been celebrated, deeply enriching the sensitivity and culture of enthusiasts.
With Utopia, Pagani wants to reconnect with the past, recovering the simplicity that is often sacrificed in the name of pure performance. The inspiration for its design came from both automotive shapes and other areas, such as the profile of Vespa headlights and accessories, the style of Italian Bianchi bicycles from the 1950s and the curves of Riva motorboats. There is also a bond of deep mutual respect and friendship between Horacio Pagani and Carlo Riva who suggested the fluid lines of Utopia, with an admiration that is born in humanity and reflected in creativity.
The Pagani Utopia Roadster is a meeting point between classic and modern, to stand out in the increasingly crowded panorama of high-performance sports cars.
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Pagani Utopia Roadster, the competitors
In the super exclusive sector in which the Pagani Utopia Roadster fits, there is another novelty that was recently presented: the Bugatti Tourbillon with a V16 engine developed by Cosworth, also produced in a few units with ultra-million dollar list prices.
This select group also includes Gordon Murray’s GMD T.50, with its V12 engine also built by Cosworth.
And let’s also remember the creations of Christian von Koenigsegg, such as the Koenigsegg Jesko which recently broke the 0-400-0 record by starting from a standstill and reaching 400 km/h, then braking to a stop.
Source: it.motor1.com
