Currently reading: Pagani unveils 791bhp Huayra BC Roadster hypercar
Italian firm launches new version of extreme hypercar featuring engine upgrades and removable carbonfibre roof

Pagani has revealed the Pagani Huayra BC Roadster, a new variant of its hypercar featuring a removable roof and uprated engine with even more power.

Named to commemorate Benny Caiola, the Ferrari collector who became Pagani's first customer, the BC Roadster follows on from the Coupe version revealed in 2016, featuring a removable carbonfibre hardtop.

Pagani claims the BC weighs just 1250kg, 30kg less than the regular roadster, with a structure that incorporates conventional carbonfibre alongside even rarer and lighter materials, including a carbon-titanium mix that is both lighter and stronger.

The aerodynamic elements and the vast rear wing create a claimed peak of 500kg of downforce at 174mph. It even has flaps next to the exhaust's catalytic converters to divert gases over some of the underfloor elements like an F1 car's blown diffuser.

Pagani 0031

Horacio Pagani still works as the company's chief designer, and admits he thinks of his products as being works of art as well as cars. The Huayra Roadster's shape and form still owes a fair amount to the stance and proportions of the original Zonda, which was released 20 years ago, but the details on the BC have grown much more advanced. The exposed metal mechanism of the gear selector is a highlight of the cabin and an example of Pagani's need to prioritise design over cost.

As with other versions of the Huayra, the BC Roadster uses a version of the Mercedes-AMG-sourced M158 twin-turbo V12. However revisions, including newly designed turbochargers, increase power from the 740bhp of the last model to 791bhp. Torque peaks at 775lb ft of torque, the latter available from 2000rpm to 5600rpm.

Drive goes to the rear axle through a seven-speed single-clutch gearbox; Pagani reckons the weight saving of around 30kg over a twin-clutch justifies its use. Performance numbers have yet to be released, but the company does say the BC Roadster is capable of generating up to 1.9g of continuous longitudinal acceleration, with peaks of up to 2.2g.

Just 40 examples of the BC Roadster will be made and each will carry a price-tag of around £2.8 million before taxes. That's more than three times what the first Huayra coupe was sold for, but Pagani says it has no shortage of customers.

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Mike Duff

Mike Duff
Title: Contributing editor

Mike has been writing about cars for more than 25 years, having defected from radio journalism to follow his passion. He has been a contributor to Autocar since 2004, and is a former editor of the Autocar website. 

Mike joined Autocar full-time in 2007, first as features editor before taking the reins at autocar.co.uk. Being in charge of the video strategy at the time saw him create our long running “will it drift?” series. For which he apologies.

He specialises in adventurous drive stories, many in unlikely places. He once drove to Serbia to visit the Zastava factory, took a £1500 Mercedes W124 E-Class to Berlin to meet some of its taxi siblings and did Scotland’s North Coast 500 in a Porsche Boxster during a winter storm. He also seems to be a hypercar magnet, having driven such exotics as the Koenigsegg One:1, Lamborghini SCV12, Lotus Evija and Pagani Huayra R.

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Comments
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jason_recliner 31 July 2019

Holy cow!

Pretty much flawless.

Laos 31 July 2019

Hell ya!

Borderline sexy
Peter Cavellini 31 July 2019

Different League...?

 Eat your Heart out McLaren!, anyway , eh hem, who else thinks this is just knockout?