Earlier this month, Pagani replaced the Huayra with a twin-turbo V12 engine producing 852 horsepower. The 6.0-liter engine with a 60-degree angle between the cylinders cooperates with the seven-speed manual, allowing one percent to row their gear in a twelve-cylinder hypercar with 811 pound-feet (1,100 Newton-meters). These output figures could have been higher had the Italian marque used a different arrangement.
In an interview with upper teeth magazine, Horacio Pagani reveals the company has access to the AMG twin-turbo 4.0-liter V8 hybrid setup from the GT 63 SE Performance. In the Affalterbach super sedan, the PHEV setup is good for 831 hp, but the hardware will hit 1,000 hp for the Utopia. Swinging onto the electric ramp would have meant switching from rear-wheel drive to all-wheel drive, but it didn’t happen in the end.
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Why? The electrified Utopia will end up being heavier than the V12 version. We’ll remind you that Pagani’s latest work has a dry weight of just 1,280 kilograms (2,622 pounds). It’s unclear how significant the weight penalty will be, but lap time simulations suggest the V8 hybrid variant will be five seconds slower around the Nürburgring.
Pagani cars are meant to be light. So [although] we will continue to invest in the development of electrification, our biggest goal is to find ways to make cars more fun, more fun, more Pagani.”
Keep in mind the AMG GT 63 SE Performance is offered exclusively with a nine-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission, so it’s unclear whether the manual gearbox can be adapted to work with a hybrid setup. Alternatively, the Utopia can also be had with a seven-speed automatic manual that is touted as the fastest among all gearboxes equipped with helical gears.
Pagani intends to make 99 units and all of them have sold for $2.19 million a pop. Seeing as how Huayra and especially Zonda receive a lot of special editions, expect Utopia to spawn a series of derivatives.
