Some say you should never meet your idols; the gap between the perceived persona compared to actual idol’s ego is often too vast. Thus the reverer is left suffering a somewhat catatonic state of disappointment.
I met my idol under a pavilion in Western Sydney. It’s name is hard to pronounce, and was once bestowed upon the two-headed, serpent clad God of Wind in ancient South America. My idol wasn’t born like you or I, but still somehow had two heads. It took form in a factory in Italy, and shares a bloodline that can be traced back to the glory days of Lamborghini.
I speak of course about the Pagani Huayra BC; and unless you’ve been living in a sensory deprivation tank for the past decade, is one of the most beautiful – and brutal – pieces of modern automotive history.
The Italian’s monocoque and curvaceous carapace is comprised almost entirely from the same fibres that make up every life-form on the planet, isolated and interlaced into a geometric woven pattern that is as strong as it is beautiful. The bolder carbon fibre weave on the shell is perfectly longitudinally symmetrical from nose to tail, cutting subtle diagonal stripes through the contrasting streamlined bodywork with no hint of defect or flaw. The bodywork’s white finish is translucent, affording the viewer a subtle cue to the majority of the Huayra’s carbon fibre underpinnings, and punctuated with a formidable blue centre stripe.
The aft section of the Huayra is no less awe-inspiring as the front, the leaf-like styling that began at the mirrors continues to the tail lights. Underneath the enormous, yet somehow sedate looking BC specific rear spoiler, sits a quartet of fire-breathing titanium trumpets; each sharing a bore diameter usually reserved for naval cannons. As a teaser for those who aren’t privy to the visual feast that lurks beneath the rear hood; the bespoke titanium piping is visible through the rear vents, underneath the active aero, a veritable upskirt for exotica aficionados.
At the heart of the Huayra, nestled behind the cabin but at the fore of the rear suspension beats the wild, German heart. Sourced from a factory in Affalterbach, here lies a violent AMG V12 that is about as sedate as the exterior styling. It is only fitting that the God of Wind should breathe through two turbochargers big enough to inhale the weak and the elderly as a sacrifice. Resulting in 552KW of tyre melting brutality and an aural orgasm shouted through Pagani’s four barrelled titanium masterpiece.
Climbing inside the cockpit of this road-going alien warship carries on styling cues and the voluptuous curves of the exterior. This is of course accented with exotic metals, and the hides that make up the upholstery derived from european bovines with greater social standing than the cast of The Avengers. Tony Stark himself would Marvel at the bespoke gear shifter comprised of countless pieces of precision machined metals, breathing a breath of fresh air into what is a dying piece of automotive apparatus. Surprisingly this lightsaber-like lever is located in the conventional centre position, rather than the typical hypercar steering wheel paddles that inspire about as much excitement as cleaning the roof guttering for your elderly neighbour. Beyond the carbon fibre and leather clad tiller though; lies a beautiful array of precision gauges, providing a beautiful insight into the mind-bending speed you’re travelling at if you dare peel your eyes from the road.
This vision of an automobile is one of three Huayra BC prototypes to currently exist, and the price tag is no less spectacular; akin to 3 Trump-esque small loans, or one inner city Sydney apartment. Speedhunters Editor Dino Dalle Carbonare plucked me from the throng of gawking onlookers to get a phenomenally close look at truly the most magnificent piece of machinery I’ve ever seen. My thanks go out to him for both coercing Pagani to bring the Huayra BC to Australia and for the VIP treatment. Spectators were treated to flying laps of the Sydney circuit on both days, piloted by a man who probably feels more at home ringing the neck of a chronically oversteering Corolla than a hypercar; the Drift King himself: Keichi Tsuchiya.
I could wax lyrical for an eternity over the Huayra, but I’ll spare you any further dribbling on my part, feast your eyes on what I have left to show you of this mythical machine.
Also, there was a Zonda there too, that was alright ;)
