PAGANI UNVEILS MAD HUAYRA

 Pagani has pulled the covers off its brand new supercar, the Huayra, just weeks before it appears at the 2011 Geneva Motor Show. The Huayra (please don’t ask, we don’t know how to pronounce it either!) replaces the very successful Zonda, which not only challenged the more established names in the game, but beat some of them too. From what we understand it has to do with a very powerful ancient god whose name was Aymara Huayra Tata.

The car is 120kg heavier than the Zonda, which is unusual given automakers’ obsession with making every new-generation lighter than its predecessor. This despite being made with a carbon-titanium monocoque tub, and ceramic brake discs.

No offence but the interior reminded me of a Spiker C9, with all that light brown leather and metal detailing. The stitching looks magnificent though, so do other materials used, like the carbon fibre. Niceties that make people feel comfortable even at over 300km/h include Bluetooth connectivity and a touch-screen infotainment system.

In the engine compartment, which lies behind the two passengers, is a new 6.0-litre bi turbo V12 engine blasting out a ballistic 522kW and 1000Nm. The gearbox is a 7-speed robotic system with driving programmes, meaning one can change its behaviour to suit one’s style and/ or driving conditions. Pagani says it will hurl from 0 – 100km/h in 3.3 seconds and top off at 370km/h. Hardly anything to scare king Veyron, but still enough to worry the upcoming super Lamborghini and Ferrari’s upcoming Enzo replacement.