Pagani Huayra Codalunga, An $8M love letter to Le Mans Racing Cars

PAGANI HUAYRA CODALUNGA

An $8M Love Letter to Le Mans Racing Cars

| BY SOMNATH CHATTERJEE

Pagani is no stranger to pantomime with its ‘larger than life’ hyper cars celebrating art rather than just being on a brutal conquest of speed. Pagani is about design and everything is meticulously engraved to look like it belongs to the Louvre. Hence, it is no surprise that its latest car, called the Huayra Codalunga, is yet another striking homage to old Le Mans racing cars.

The long rear overhang gives a hyper car the longtail name and it is done for aerodynamic purposes while also looking prettier in the process. The Huayra has always been a stunning design that has withstood the test of time but the long-tail version gives added gracefulness along with a sense of natural beauty. Its uncorrupted lines are beautifully blended within the ‘long-tail’ silhouette. With the Codalunga, Pagani has been inspired by old Italian craftsmanship and the race cars from the 60’s.

Hence, the lines are clean and sinous with an elegant shape without being festooned by cuts or slashes. The story of this car started way back in 2018 when two Pagani collectors asked Horacio to produce a long-tail version of the Pagani Huayra Coupé along with idea being to create a streamlined design and an elegant hyper car which would be at home on the roads as well as being gawped at a stand at international Concours events. Pagani’s own special projects division called as Pagani Grandi Complicazioni worked with clients to make this beautiful new creation.

Even though it is limited to just five units and it is a one-off kind of car, the project was akin to any new product with considerable resources being deployed plus being a road car it had to meet all the norms. Like all Pagani cars, Leonardo da Vinci’s principles can be seen with the design and the long body has a low drag plus has been made by hand using aluminum alloy. The rear engine cover for example has a footprint of more than 3.7 m2 and that makes it around 360 mm longer than the one of the Huayra Coupé. The power-train is the staple Pagani V12 with 840 HP and 1,100 Nm of torque.

The most alluring part of the design is the rear styling with the exhaust system, which is made from titanium and weighs only 4.4 kg (9.7 lb). As said earlier, the long-tail aims at reducing weight and improving aero while the car only weighs 1,280 kg (2,822 lb). A signature design element of the Huayra remains with the four flaps with variable profiles. The interior uses aged suede leathers for the 60’s race car vibe complete with neutral colors and semi-matte or fully matte paints. However, like any Pagani, the exposed carbon fiber finish remains. At near $8 million, the Huayra Codalunga might just be the jewel in the crown amongst all Paganis.