A Symphony of Art & Science
Written by Andre James
Pagani Utopia was unveiled at the National Science & Technology Museum in Milan surrounded by Leonardo da Vinci's original drawings.
Milan, Italy, hosted the world premiere of a brand new hypercar, the Pagani Utopia, the third chapter in the Modena-based atelier's history. Enhancing the ties that Horacio Pagani sees between the design of Pagani Hypercars and Leonardo da Vinci is an exceptional loan from the Biblioteca Ambrosiana, which, for the presentation of the new car, granted permission for six original drawings of Leonardo's studies on air, to leave its vaults temporarily for the exhibition, "The shape of air: from Leonardo to Pagani Utopia," set amidst the grandeur of the Sala del Cenacolo refectory hall in the National Science & Technology Museum, home to the world's largest permanent exhibition on Leonardo da Vinci - engineer, humanist and scholar of nature.
"The presentation of our new car in the extraordinary setting of the National Science & Technology Museum in Milan has a special significance," says Horacio Pagani, an Argentine-Italian businessman who worked his way up the ranks to become chief engineer at Lamborghini before founding Pagani in 1992. "Leonardo was very creative here in Milan, where he enjoyed a wonderful period. He has been a huge influence in my life since I was a boy; he is the inspiration for the fundamental concepts of Art and Science that guide our work. So to be in the museum that bears his name and to have his original drawings next to our car is a truly indescribable emotion for me."
The exhibition is enhanced by two historic models also on display – the Zonda C12 (1999) and the Huayra Coupé (2011) – to tell the story of a brand that will soon be celebrating its 25th anniversary. The exhibition's musical accompaniment is a symphonic work written by the Milan Conservatory based upon the compositions for piano of a young Horacio Pagani.
Six years in the making and cloaked in a carbon-titanium and carbo-triax monocoque frame (150lbs lighter than its predecessor, the Huayra), the sleek lines of the Utopia are apropos for a museum setting. Where some hypercars have a multitude of spoilers, Utopia incorporates the function of these appendices into its overall shape, achieving greater downforce and reduced drag solely through its design.
As powerful as it is pretty, Utopia boasts an 864 horsepower six-liter twin-turbo V12 engine. A seven-speed manual transmission or an automated single-clutch gearbox routes power to the rear wheels.
Ergonomics, efficiency, and ease of access remained at the forefront in designing the cabin. For example, there are no screens apart from the minimal display in front of the driver. The company says that big screens would have been easier to fit and saved a lot of effort in the design, but it would have diminished much of the beauty. All the instruments are purely analog, and each of the easy-to-read dials subtly reveals part of its mechanism as if it were revealing the skeleton movement. The steering wheel is fashioned from a solid aluminum block; likewise, the pedals are made from a single metal block.
Horacio Pagani says he builds the cars he has dreamt of and that Leonardo da Vinci has always been a crucial figure for him, allowing him to believe that it is possible to combine art and technology.
Pricing for the Pagani Utopia starts at $2.19 million.
