After seven years of hard work I am now able to tell you a little brief history and the path that led to the birth of the Huayra, project name C9.
The concept was born in 2003, the year of the introduction of the Zonda S Roadster. As you may recall the early 2000s were prosperous for the world of supercars. The commitment of big car manufacturers have contributed to the rise of extraordinary cars like the Bugatti Veyron, Porsche Carrera GT, Ferrari Enzo, Mercedes McLaren SLR.
This context led us to make several observations concerning the future of the Zonda and what could be a new Pagani. Since the original design of the Zonda was done in the early 90s the first thought was that it was now an obsolete project and we decided to imagine the car totally different in form, dimension, dynamics and technology, all this without losing the essence of our approach, to follow a concept born in the Renaissance where Leonardo da Vinci told us that art and science are disciplines that need to walk alongside. The eternal element air in all its forms, especially wind, became determining in defining the concept and it was a great inspiration, as it is ever present in our lives: a jet turbine, the silence of a glider… the elegance of the wind movements but also the violence and force that it can unleash.
The Huayra is made of more than 10.000 components (considering engine and gearbox as individual parts). To create them and put them together requires creativity, patience and passion that I shared with a fantastic young team and with the most competent partner in all sectors.
In defining the size, I immediately thought of a car that would be longer than the Zonda, a track increased by 70 mm, a cabin position shifted 40 mm to the back and even more spacious. The silhouette should be soft, easy to read and form itself from lean and sleek lines that have a clear beginning and an end.
As the style is concerned during these five years we have tried to find the best compromise working on 8 scale models and 2 full scale models, as well as hundreds of drawings without never leaving the original idea and taking meticulous care of the details.