I made it to Exotics on Broadway as part of Monterey Car Week for the second consecutive year about a week ago. My experience was in some ways different from when I went for the first time last year but fairly similar as well. There was a different selection of vehicles on display with a somewhat different spotlight and much bigger crowds this year. I may have missed some vehicles and been unable to take all the photos of all the vehicles that I would've wanted to, but this show was absolutely crazy, 100 percent worth attending, and the best car show I will probably attend all year long.
I'd like to first begin my 2023 Exotics on Broadway content with Pagani, who was the biggest spotlight of this year's show since the Italian boutique supercar manufacturer is celebrating its 25th anniversary in 2023. This will be a three-part miniseries featuring different versions of the Huayra that were featured at the biggest event at Monterey Car Week, beginning with the base fixed-roof Huayra and Huayra Roadster. Pagani first debuted the Huayra as its second-ever hypercar in 2011 and its roadster variant in 2017, succeeding the Zonda. Powering the Huayra is a 6.0-liter twin-turbo V12 sourced from Mercedes-AMG producing 730 horsepower and 738 pound-feet of torque in the base Huayra, and 754 horsepower and 760 pound-feet of torque in the Huayra Roadster, sending power to the rear wheels through a seven-speed automated manual gearbox. Pagani didn't fit the Huayra with a proper dual-clutch because it claims that one would make the vehicle much heavier than what it ultimately went with, an automated manual. It launches from zero to 60 mph in 2.8 seconds and can reach a top speed of around 240 mph.
The Huayra's interior features mostly leather, aluminum, and carbon fiber trim, and it is beautifully and exquisitely handcrafted just like its exterior. Its interior is also aviation-inspired, and every aspect of the Huayra has an attention to detail that is unmatched by anyone else in the car industry. Fixed-roof Huayras sport gullwing doors, while the roadsters have conventional doors. A few interesting and notable aspects of the Huayra include its key, which is shaped like the vehicle itself, and its visible gear linkages as part of its seven-speed sequential manual transmission. These are some undeniably cool attributes of the Huayra, with the former being one of the absolute coolest keys of any car ever made. Settled in the middle of the dashboard is a medium-sized digital infotainment display that is controlled by metallic buttons and switches above and below the screen. Every Huayra comes standard with two front and rear flaps or "wings" that deploy at high speeds or when braking hard for added downforce. Another signature element of every Pagani model is the central quad-exhaust setup right above the license plate. Between the doors and the engine bay on both sides of the Huayra are storage compartments with fitted luggage, which isn't super obvious unless the engine cover is opened up. The side mirrors of the Huayra are designed to resemble a woman's eyelids and can be folded in when in tight spaces, which are yet another beautiful design element of this amazing supercar. As for the front compartment, it can be opened, but it isn't designed to be opened frequently and doesn't feature much more than structural components and its carbon-fiber tub.
As for the Huayra Roadster specifically, compared to its fixed-roof version, it contains some notable distinctions. The most obvious of these distinctions is the removable top, which is a big contributor to the Roadster weighing about 150 pounds lighter than the base Huayra coupe. The Huayra Roadster also contains revised engine cover, front grille, and rear end designs, and "Roadster" badging throughout the vehicle. What makes the rear-end design unique on the Roadster are the fixed eyelid-like flaps right above the taillights. The wheels are unique to the Huayra Roadster and aren't fitted on any other car. Unlike the base Huayra coupe, the Huayra Roadster has a push-button start in the dashboard and a turn-key ignition in the center divider between the seats. Additional vents have been placed on the front fenders of the Huayra Roadster next to the side mirrors. A few more fascinating aspects of the Huayra in general include engine hours listed at the top of the gauge cluster, which lists the hours the engine has ran for, is inspired by vintage aircraft, and isn't found in most cars, and the circles on the bottom of the seats, which serve as seat adjusters.
Pagani allocated only 100 units each of the base Huayra and Huayra Roadster, with production ending in 2018 for the base Huayra and in 2022 for the Huayra Roadster. Pricing for the Pagani Huayra started around $2 million when new but has now appreciated to anywhere between $3-4 million. Since the spotlight was on Pagani's 25th anniversary at this year's Exotics on Broadway, a total of 14 Paganis were on display compared to four at last year's show, bringing my lifetime total to 16 Paganis that I've seen in person thus far. Two of these 14 were base Huayra coupes, while six of them were Huayra Roadsters. Those who know me well already know, but for those who don't, the Pagani Huayra is one of my top-three favorite cars ever made. It looks absolutely stunning inside and out, has such an incredible attention to detail, and is blisteringly fast. There are very few cars in existence that are a complete work of art and can go as fast as the Pagani Huayra, and I am obsessed with it. Follow along for Parts 2 and 3 of the Pagani at Exotics on Broadway 2023 miniseries featuring three other versions of the Huayra, which are coming up in the next two posts.
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