Pagani set to launch track-only Huayra R

Pagani has slipped its marketing machine into top gear over the past week, as the Italian hypercar manufacturer readies the automotive world for its next multi-million dollar release – the Huayra R.

Teaser images and a very emotive three minute clip on YouTube promise that the long-awaited successor to the ballistic Zonda R will be just as - if not more - raucous than its 14-year-old descendant.

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Pagani Zonda R

Details about the new track-only weapon are still thin on the ground right now, but the biggest and likely-to-be-confirmed rumour is that Pagani will ditch the 6.0-litre twin-turbocharged Mercedes-AMG M158 V12 used in the regular Huayra in favour of a naturally-aspirated V12.

Not much else is known about the engine, and it's unclear whether Pagani will again use the prolific Mercedes-Benz M120 V12 found in Zondas of the past.

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However, given Pagani's long-standing relationship with Mercedes-AMG, the likelihood that the engine will be constructed by Mercedes-AMG is strong.

The automaker has even teased the new powerplant testing at full chat in a video on Instagram. The sound of 12 cylinders roaring above 9000rpm is borderline intoxicating and reminiscent of a circa-1990s Formula 1 car.

According to Horacio Pagani, the company’s founder, the other big focus of the Huayra R is its styling and aerodynamics.

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Racing cars from the golden era of motorsport like the Porsche 917, Ford GT and Ferrari P4 have served as inspiration for the Huayra R’s styling.

“Today race cars are offspring of the wind tunnel, in that they are devoted to aerodynamics only,” said Pagani.

“Whereas in the ‘60s-’70s cars were really fast, maybe dangerous yet absolutely stunning.

“From the experience of the Zonda R, from the cars of old, and from a new need for freedom, the idea for the Huayra R was born, like a breath of fresh air.”

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Pagani explained the Huayra R’s early designs were too heavily focused on aerodynamics, and not enough emphasis had been placed on aesthetics.

So, the mercurial automaker and his team instead focused on the appearance of the R, and the automaker now believes that in doing so, they have created a car that offers extreme aero performance and true beauty.

And judging from the glimpses of CAD modelling seen in the aforementioned YouTube video, and the R’s stygian silhouette posted on Pagani’s Instagram page, the Modena-based firm may well have succeeded. A prominent roof scoop, muscular lines and a sizeable integrated rear wing all point to a good-looking car.

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There’s no word yet as to whether or not the Huayra R will be thrust at Nurburg’s feared Nordschleife to shatter the lap record, just like its Zonda R kin did before it. With the car’s March 18 launch just around the corner that question plus many more will surely be answered.