“We spent over seven years defining the style of this car, not because we were confused – in fact, the first models are practically the same as the definitive car – but because we worked on the pursuit of perfection in all the details. As Michelangelo said, that is the only way to excel in every field. Five hundred years ago, Leonardo da Vinci argued that it was important to combine art and science: we followed him when we were designing the Huayra.”
The words belong to Horacio Pagani; the Argentine entrepreneur who is the founder and Chief Designer of Pagani Automobili. The birth of the Huayra, in 2011, represented an important moment in the history of Italian sports cars. It was also a turning point for Pagani, which until then had only produced the Zonda and was preparing, with its latest car, to enter the American market. For the new model, Pagani chose a name inspired by Huayra-tata, the god of the wind, who – according to South American mythology – commands the air that blows over the mountains of the Andes.
Coupe and Roadster
It was a fitting name for a powerful, highly-technical, but above all sublimely emotional car, which required the development of eight scale models and two 1:1 models, as well as hundreds of sketches and preparatory drawings. The end result was a 730-horsepower beast, artificially limited to 350kph. There were a number of special editions created later for individual customers, while a parallel development programme created the Roadster in 2017. The Huayra's 10 years of success were recently celebrated together with the 60th anniversary of the Frecce Tricolori, for which the Huayra Tricolore was created last year. For once, the aerobatic team were slightly late to their birthday celebration, as the originally-planned show last year was cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic. It finally took place this year at the Rivolto Air Force base, close to Udine in north-east Italy. The weather was less than ideal, but an excited public was still able to admire the 10 Aermacchi MB 339 PANs that make up the unmissable Italian Arrows in action.
A special series
It was a show as unique as the 10-year anniversary of the Huayra, with Pagani enjoying a privileged relationship with the 313rd Acrobatic Training Group: the official name of the Frecce Tricolori. For the team's 50th birthday back in 2010, the Zonda Tricolore was created: a racing car produced in only three units which – with its visible blue carbon livery – paid homage to the magnificent Italian pilots and their incredible flying machines. The latest homage to them is the Huayra Tricolore, the ultra limited-edition that Pagani has dedicated to the Arrows. To create this special model, the design team was inspired by the technical capabilities of the Aermacchi MB 339 PAN. The result is an exclusively elegant Huayra with the aerodynamics and performance of a fighter jet, packed with details (such as yet more dark blue carbon fibre bodywork) that unmistakeably evoke the Frecce Tricolori.
Tribute to the three leaders
As Horacio Pagani explains, driving one of the three new Huayras at Rivolto during the 60th birthday celebrations: “We are rarely satisfied with anything we do for the first time, and rigorous research is needed to create something that gives so much emotion and uniqueness; yet at the same time leads us to develop a high-performance machine from the standpoint of pure technology.”
The fact that there are just three cars out there is in itself a tribute to the team's key line-up and its three leaders: the commander (number 0) – the 11th member of the patrol who directs it from the ground – the training leader (number 1) who leads the pack in the air and the soloist (number 10): responsible for some of the team's most incredible stunts. If you want one of the three cars, you'll need to spend 5.5 million euros (6.7 million in Italy after tax). Pagani's latest artistic masterpiece carries the same price tag as anything from the Italian Old Masters…
