Pagani Utopia, offering art that moves

The Pagani Utopia was unveiled last fall as the successor to the Huayra, but a new video shows Pagani's latest hypercar in action.

In the short video released by Pagani, the Utopia is seen driving on country roads and navigating the narrow streets of Europe. Although the video does not show high-speed driving, the clean bodywork of the Utopia can be admired.

With the Utopia, Pagani aimed to keep visible cooling ducts and aerodynamic aids to a minimum in order to keep the exterior as sleek as possible. A front splitter directs air into an egg-shaped opening at the front, from where it flows around the sides of the car to active flaps at the rear. According to Pagani, this arrangement creates an optimal aerodynamic balance, unaffected by ground clearance, for more predictable handling characteristics.

The Utopia also inherits styling cues from the Huayra and Pagani's first supercar, the Zonda. The cab-forward silhouette, quad headlights (housings machined from solid aluminum), and centrally located quad exhaust tips give the Utopia a sense of kinship with earlier cars.

Another connection to past Pagani's is the engine. Like the Huayra and Zonda, the Utopia is powered by a Mercedes-Benz AMG V12 engine. In this case, it is a twin-turbocharged 6.0-liter engine that produces 852 hp and 811 lb-ft of torque with a redline of 6,700 rpm; power is sent to the rear wheels via an Xtrac 7-speed automated manual transmission. Pagani has considered electric and hybrid powertrains, but has shelved them for now.

Pagani plans to build 99 Utopia coupes at an undisclosed price, but that would only be a start. If Pagani follows the same pattern as the Zonda and Huayra, we can expect a Utopia Roadster, some special editions, and a hardcore truck version to follow. For now, the Utopia Coupe continues the Pagani tradition of stunning design and pure V-12 power.