The new Pagani Imola Roadster is an 838bhp assault on the senses
The Huayra-based Imola is Pagani’s most extreme road car yet, and it’s now available without a roof – and more power
Even when a so-called replacement comes along, Pagani hypercars simply refuse to die. Despite being succeeded by the Huayra back in 2011, new Zondas have been produced as recently as last year, and while Pagani’s latest model – the Utopia – has already broken cover, the Huayra will live on for a little longer.
Meet the Imola Roadster: an 838bhp, ultra-focused variant of the Huayra designed to offer the most visceral open-top driving experience of any road legal Pagani.
A coupe version of the Imola was unveiled in 2020, and it arrived with a clear brief: to take the Huayra to the ultimate level of track performance while remaining road legal. Its extreme active aero package, suspension geometry and interlinked active dampers were developed through 10,000 miles of circuit driving, with an 816bhp 6-litre V12 nestled within a carbo-titanium chassis.
Now, Pagani customers will have the opportunity to sample those ingredients without a roof – but this time with even more power. The AMG-built twin-turbo engine has been boosted to 838bhp for the Roadster, with a peak of 811lb ft of torque driving the rear wheels through a seven-speed Xtrac automated manual gearbox.
As ever, Pagani’s ingenious use of composites keeps the Roadster's weight penalty over the coupe to a minimum. With a chassis built from a new formula of carbo-titanium and carbo-triax, it tips the scales at 1260kg (dry) – just 14kg more than the hard top.
The Roadster's design is a concoction of the Huayra R and Roadster BC, with large cooling intakes at the front and wheel arch openings to relieve air pressure and improve downforce. The rear deck draws heavily from the Roadster BC with flowing buttresses leading to the iconic Pagani quad-tailpipe set. An intake snorkel rises between these to feed air to the AMG-derived 6-litre V12, just as in the BC, but other elements set it apart from 'lesser' Huayras (if there ever was such a thing).
For one, the rear wheel arches bulge out to accommodate wider tracks, while more aggressive aero flicks have been added above the rear light clusters – these work with a revised rear wing to generate more downforce. The lower bumper and diffuser setup has also been lifted from the Imola coupe.
The result is a 217mph (limited) top speed and 600kg of downforce at 174mph, which enables the Imola Roadster to achieve a sustained cornering force of 2g. The Huayra's four active aero flaps also play a part, working with active dampers to work all four Pirelli P Zero Trofeo R tyres into the road.
Just eight Imola Roadsters will be built, and while Pagani has kept the cost under wraps, it will be astronomical. The Imola coupe was priced at €5m (c£4.3m) plus taxes three years ago, so expect the roadster to command a fair chunk on top – that is unless they’ve all been snapped up already…
