Pagani Utopia Roadster unveiled ahead of Monterey Car Week

Italian exotic car specialist Pagani has unveiled the new Utopia Roadster, its latest creation after the Utopia coupé. The Roadster offers a choice between an open and closed driving experience, while maintaining the performance and agility of the Coupé, the company says.

Pagani specialises in composite, lightweight materials and thus each Utopia Roadster is unique and agile thanks to the wide range of customisation options available.

The model shown here is the showpiece at the upcoming Monterey Car Week, and the body is crafted using Habanero red carbon fibre. Leaving the carbon bare, either everywhere or only in certain places, covered or not by coloured paint, is part of the options available.

The cabin is an antiqued and ornamental feast for the eyes, thanks to crafted seats, floor mats with a specific texture reminiscent of an outboard boat, almost endless choice of colours and materials, and polished instrumentation. 

The show car interior is finished in Grecale and Huayra signature leather, semi-matt anodised finish on the dashboard, central tunnel, air vents and aluminium parts of the gear lever. The exterior paint colour is also found inside, on the central tunnel, the seat adjustment cover and the carbon-fibre gear knob.

Two matching suitcases made with leather-covered carbon inner shells, and adorned with the Pagani emblem are stowed in special compartments situated next to the engine, and two matching garment bags are positioned behind the headrests.

The wheels, which are in staggered sizes, are fitted with Aeroblade carbon deflectors that create a trompe-l'oeil, or visual illusion, recalling the high-shouldered tyres of the 1960s and 1970s, from which the Utopia draws inspiration aesthetically.

The Utopia Roadster weighs a paltry 1,280kg, and continues to be powered by an AMG-sourced V12 engine devoid of any hybrid support. The company says it is a tribute to the enduring beauty of mechanical purity.

The motor, which it shares with the top-line Benz products, is tuned for more power. It develops 635kW and 1,100Nm and, unlike the German dreamboats, it can be mated to seven-speed transversal automated manual transmission or a seven-speed pure manual with visible mechanical linkages, both developed by British firm Xtrac.

Though very low-volume manufacturers are granted several exemptions, Pagani says it built the Utopia to comply with the strictest regulations in the world, passing more than 50 crash tests, from preliminary to homologation, to obtain global certification.

The Utopia Roadster will be officially unveiled during Monterey Car Week, the US’s most extensive automobilia show that runs from August 9-18 2024, featuring an abundance of events including the famous Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance.