Pagani reveals £3million Utopia Roadster

Revealed following a selection of teasers, the Utopia Roadster has been revealed some two years on from the debut of the Coupé. Pagani calls it ‘Act Three, Scene Two,’ after this being the second iteration of the marque’s third all-new car.

So, what are the figures you need to know? Well, as ever, Pagani has swerved the usual monster weight penalties that chopping the top tends to incur. That’s thanks to the Utopia’s inherently stiff HP62 carbon-titanium chassis not requiring really anything in the way of reinforcement. This has been achieved by Pagani for the first time developing both the Coupé and the Roadster in tandem, as opposed to with the Huayra and Zonda, where Roadster versions were developed after the fact. As such, the Roadster weighs the same as the Coupé, at 1,280kg.

In terms of power and performance, motivation comes from the same 864PS (635kW), 1,100nm 6.0-litre twin-turbocharged Mercedes-AMG V12, which feeds power to the rear wheels via an electronic limited-slip differential and either a seven-speed Xtrac automated paddle-operated manual, or a seven-speed Xtrac manual transmission. Though no acceleration figures have been given, the top speed is said to be limited to 217mph.

A lot is broadly the same as the Coupé, so what’s different? Let’s start with the obvious bit – at the roof. The car as standard features a hard panel that stays in place to effectively make the car a coupé. If you want the pop-top experience, you manually remove it and leave it at home on a bespoke stand. What comes with you is a fabric roof, that’s stored in a case behind the seats in the cabin, for use in a pinch during a sudden downpour on the Cote d’Azur. In terms of the Utopia Roadster’s aerodynamics, or changes to the bodywork, there really isn’t much of not to report. As above, the two were developed in tandem.

The new key in the shape of the car incorporates the missing roof. There are also new textures on the floor mats of this reveal model that are said to be reminiscent of an outboard boat. There’s also a new set of forged 21 and 22-inch seven-split-spoke alloy wheels.

Obviously, the trim of the interior of your Pagani will be limited only by your imagination, your wallet size, and prevailing laws. The inside in terms of hard points, is as was in the Coupé, it features a lot of carbon, a lot of raw metal, and a general analogue feel. We like.

This car also comes with the Sport Pack, which is also available on the Coupé. It involves using carbo-titanium for more parts, including the seats, the gear knob, the shift paddles, the floor mats, the active aero and more. The seats themselves are also more sparsely padded, for a 20 per cent drop in weight. The car also gets new carbon aero blades, but only on the right-hand-side, curiously, to show off the different options.

The spec of this particular Roadster is a callback to the original Zonda Roadster, which as specified by Pagani’s first customer Benny Caiola – who also lent his initials to the Huayra BC – was revealed in Dubai Red. This, a colour designed to be as fitting for a race track as a night time cruise, is what this Utopia now wears on its debut.

So, can you have one? Unlikely, and not only because of the £2.6million less taxes entry price. It’s likely all examples are already spoken for and if they’re not already, leave an expression of interest until beyond Monterey Car Week, where this car will be revealed in person, at your peril… 

Paganis are not cars ever made in great numbers, but an interesting point about the Utopia Roadster is that it will be the most numerous Pagani variant in the company’s history. Some 130 Utopia Roadsters are to be built, alongside the 100 coupés, meaning there will be almost as many Utopia Roadsters as there are Zondas made in total. Still, not exactly a Juke, is it?