McLaren calls it the Longtail, Pagani went with Codalunga for their latest Huayra limited-edition version, only five were available for clients around the world, and even at an MSRP of €7,000,000 each, they are already sold out as you read this, and get this: a Pagani Huayra is already a special hypercar, a bespoke build made specifically for the client, but these five Huayra Codalunga are created by a dedicated division within Pagani Automobili called Pagani Grandi Complicazioni, for those ‘extra special, complicated projects’.
The Pagani Huayra Codalunga will be built in very close collaboration between the Pagani Grandi Complicazioni department and the customer, which is the result of something Horacio Pagani himself stated: “A client is not someone who only buys from you once. A real client comes back again and again” Horacio Pagani, Founder & Chief Designer, Pagani Automobili. And this is exactly what happened about four years ago, back in 2018 a pair of Pagani owners requested a ‘long-tail’ Huayra Coupé, making the original car longer in the process to create an elegant-looking hypercar with a very clean, uninterrupted design, a car to drive and to put on display at the same time, so the intricate work involved Pagani Grandi Complicazioni, the re-branded Special Projects division and the customer in a very close nit collaboration.
“There are virtually infinite possibilities for designing and customizing these vehicles. Each project is the culmination of a long and thorough journey, working with the client to interpret their preferences and desires, with a shared ambition and combined effort from everyone to create a work of art befitting the Pagani name. A cross-functional team has supported the project meticulously from creation through design and development, to help us realize our clients’ vision.” Lorenzo Kerkoc – Head of Pagani Grandi Complicazioni.
Only five units of the Pagani Huayra Codalunga will ever be made, and the first two ones were sold even before the first line was drawn, but that didn’t keep Pagani Automobili to put considerable resources into creating these bespoke hypercars, most importantly because these Huayra Codalunga had to be street-legal globally and come with full certification, every single detail of the new Codalunga was designed with the same attention to detail for which Pagani has become famous, and let’s not forget these cars are designed in accordance with the creative principles of the great polymath Leonardo da Vinci, an inexhaustible source of inspiration, according to which Art and Science can exist in
perfect harmony. It took Pagani two years to come up with the final styling concept, at first on a 1 /4 scale model, while a second ‘prototype’ was built in full scale to really get a perfect impression of how the Huayra Codalunga would look from every angle, after some final refinements it was time to start building the various components that would make up the very first Pagani Huayra Codalunga, the car we can admire on these press photos.
“All Pagani projects are born from visions and dreams, and some of the most iconic and exclusive Pagani cars stem from the vision and dreams of clients. In 2009, this led to one of the most iconic Zonda models, the Zonda Cinque. Pagani Automobili is capable of developing these bespoke projects for single clients, much like the Coachbuilders in the ‘60s, but in compliance with today’s international homologation requirements. Specifically, one of the five cars will be certified for the U.S. market. Pagani Grandi Complicazioni is able to deliver series production quality for ultra-exclusive pieces.” Hannes Zanon – Commercial Director
Back in the Sixties, we saw coachbuilders being inspired to use lightweight aluminum for their aircraft-inspired designs to create some of the most iconic car designs in history, but these days Pagani uses composite material to create a car in line with that inspiration, this translates into a rear engine cover that is a massive 360mm longer compared to the original Huayra Coupe unit, but it still covers that renowned Pagani V12 engine, delivering a mouth-watering 840 hp and an even more impressive 1,100 Nm of torque.
Seen from the rear we get an unobstructed view of the intricate exhaust system on the Huayra Codalunga, a work of art made from titanium that weighs just 4.4 kgs (or 9.7 lb) that as an homage to the classic LeMans race cars has been ceramic coated, remember Horacio Pagani is an avid fan of the Porsche 917 race car, so it is obvious he would put some of that car’s touches onto is own, road-legal creations, it goes without saying the thundering symphony of sound emitting from those four exhausts sends chills down your spine.
The Pagani Huayra Codalunga puts just 1,280 kg (2,822 lb) on the scales, and thanks to an amazing aerodynamic efficiency from the shape and extra length of this model the four flaps that create a variable profile boast the very best in active aerodynamics found on hypercars today, we’ve seen these flaps on the original Huayra back in 2011 already, but they have been refined ever since to what we now find on these five Codalunga models.
“We decided to use the simple linear style of the Huayra Coupé as the starting point. We made the Huayra Codalunga longer and smoother as if it had been caressed and molded by the wind, to design lines that were even more elegant than the coupe. We drew inspiration from the long tails of the 1960s that raced at Le Mans, which had very clean lines. The Huayra Codalunga comprises very few essential elements; we have taken away rather than added. Simplifying is not at all straightforward, and this vehicle is, above all, the result of a complex pursuit of simple ideas.” – Horacio Pagani.
While we have seen some amazing finishes on previous Pagani Huayra models, like tinted carbon fiber, one of my favorites, for this new Codalunga model Pagani opted for a more neutral color, preferably semi-matte or matte paints that will emphasize just how simple and effective the overall design of this car actually is and also has a throwback to shades of the past, and this idea has been translated into the interior too with a woven leather/nubuck upholstery on the seats, as usual, the aluminum parts on the interior have been milled from a single, solid block of aluminum, just as it would be done back in the past, polishing parts by hand to get the perfect shine and finish.
“The colors and materials also recall the cars of the 1960s. The paint on the outside blends into elements of the cockpit while structural parts retain their exposed carbon fiber finish. The artisan touch can also be seen on the internal finishes with woven aged suede leathers.” – Alberto Piccolo, Concept and Interior Designer, Pagani Automobili.
Please take a look at the official video from Pagani Automobili on the new Huayra Codalunga:
