Carson's Car Pics: August 2024

Wednesday, August 28, 2024

Pagani Imola Roadster

The Imola is a super-exclusive version of the Pagani Huayra with more aggressive aerodynamics and bodywork than any other road-going Huayra. Named after the famed Italian racetrack in which it was tested on, Pagani introduced the Imola Coupe in early 2020 and followed that up with its roadster variant in late 2023. Displayed at this year's Exotics on Broadway show in Monterey as a newcomer is the first Imola Roadster ever built and the only Imola Roadster in North America, which primarily resides in Miami, Florida. Motivating the Imola Roadster is a 6.0-liter twin-turbo V12 sourced from Mercedes-AMG producing a whopping 838 horsepower and 811 pound-feet of torque paired to a seven-speed sequential manual gearbox sending power to the rear wheels. These figures make the Imola Roadster the most powerful road-going Huayra in existence. It launches from zero to 60 mph in under three seconds and is capable of a top speed electronically limited to 217 mph.

The Imola's more aggressive aero over other versions of the Huayra consist of larger front and rear intakes and ducts, vents on the front wheel arches, and a prominent roof scoop, massive fixed rear wing, and third brake light in the rear wing integrated into the engine cover. Most of these distinctive styling changes on the Imola compared to other Huayras are intended to improve cooling. This specific Imola Roadster is painted in a unique shade of blue known as Azzuro Sardegna BMF with gold accents and adds BMF badging as a nod to this particular shade of blue. Pagani has allocated only five Imola Coupes and eight Imola Roadsters for the entire world. Its value is estimated to be around $5.4 million for the Coupe and approximately $6 million for the Roadster. Overall, the Pagani Imola Roadster is an insane, breathtaking, and unbelievable one-of-a-kind supercar and the most intriguing Pagani showcased at this year's Exotics on Broadway besides the Utopia.

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Monday, August 26, 2024

Koenigsegg Agera RS/FE Vader

The next Koenigsegg model from this year's Exotics on Broadway in Monterey commemorating the Swedish supercar manufacturer's 30th anniversary that I want to feature on this site is the Agera, my second favorite Koenigsegg behind the Jesko. The 2024 rendition of Exotics on Broadway featured one example each of the Agera RS and FE, which this post will specifically cover. The lesser-than-the-RS Agera HH currently owned by automotive Youtube personality The Stradman made an appearance at this year's Exotics on Broadway show as well, but I was unable to get any good photos of that particular example this year due to the crazy and intense crowds surrounding it when I saw it while I was in attendance. Fortunately, I have a few photos I took of the Agera HH when it had a different owner when I first attended Exotics on Broadway two years ago, which can be found in earlier posts on Carson's Car Pics.

Back to the Agera RS and FE, the specific examples that appeared at this year's Exotics on Broadway were the RS World Record Car and the FE Vader, the latter of which is one of the last two final editions of the previous-generation Agera ever built. The RS was added to the Agera lineup in 2015, while the Agera Final Editions debuted in 2016. Powering both the Agera RS and FE is a twin-turbo 5.0-liter V8. This engine produces 1160 horsepower and 940 pound-feet of torque in the Agera RS and 1341 horsepower and 1000 pound-feet of torque in the Agera RS with the 1MW (Megawatt) package, sending power to the rear wheels via a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission with paddle shifters. Each of the Agera Final Editions automatically offer the Megawatt power upgrade as standard. It launches from zero to 60 mph in 2.8 seconds and is capable of a top speed of 277.9 mph, which currently stands as the fastest top speed ever recorded in a production vehicle.

Like practically every Koenigsegg model, the Agera RS and FE feature dihedral synchro-helix doors and a detachable hardtop. A hydraulic lift system that assists in maneuvering over speed bumps, curbs, and steep driveways more easily and a front trunk with some storage space also come standard on the Agera RS and FE. Its body is constructed almost entirely of carbon fiber, while its interior is dressed in mostly carbon fiber, leather, alcantara, and suede trim. Only 25 examples of the Agera RS were ever made from 2015 to 2018, and each Agera RS example is uniquely customized so that no two are the same. As for the Agera FE Vader, it adds a slightly altered rear wing, an extra set of front canards, and an extended front splitter over the Agera RS along with a carbon and diamond-flake exterior and gold accents on some of the aerodynamic components. Both the Agera RS and FE currently carry resale values significantly above $3 million. Overall, the Agera RS and FE remain two of my favorite Koenigseggs and cars of all time. Their amazing designs, unbelievable performance, and top-tier exclusivity make the Agera RS and FE two of the coolest and most compelling vehicles in the world, and it was absolutely incredible to see both the Agera RS World Record Car and Agera FE Vader in Monterey again this year.

Saturday, August 24, 2024

Pagani Utopia

The next most notable car from this year's Exotics on Broadway in Monterey that I want to feature on this site and was most excited to see up close is the Pagani Utopia. The Utopia is Pagani's current supercar model, which entered production for the 2023 model year as the Huayra's successor. Its roadster variant recently made its official debut at the Quail as part of Monterey Car Week last week and was displayed at Exotics on Broadway as well, where I saw it in person for the first time. Powering the Utopia is a 6.0-liter twin-turbo AMG V12 with 852 horsepower and 811 pound-feet of torque, sending power to the rear wheels through either a seven-speed manual or a seven-speed automated manual gearbox. It launches from zero to 60 mph in under three seconds and can reach a top speed of 217 mph. The Utopia is constructed primarily of a fusion of carbon fiber and titanium, and it features leather straps on the front and rear body panels, butterfly doors, 21-inch front wheels, 22-inch rear wheels, and a set of fitted luggage from Pagani.

Inside, the Pagani Utopia's cabin is adorned in the finest leather, carbon fiber, and aluminum trim. Its interior also adds a single digital display directly in front of the driver, housing the infotainment system, backup camera, and navigation, and the seven-speed manual gearbox in the Utopia contains exposed gear linkages, which look incredible in this vehicle. As with previous Pagani models, another cool aspect of the Utopia is its key, which is in the shape of the car itself. Pagani structured the Utopia Roadster in a way that results in it weighing the same as its coupe counterpart at 2822 pounds. A manually-removable hardtop comes standard on the Utopia Roadster, and it offers a retractable soft top as a backup since there is no compartment in the vehicle that can store its hardtop when not in use.

Pagani will produce only 99 Utopia Coupes and 130 Utopia Roadsters, with pricing starting at around $2.2 million for the fixed-roof Utopia and $3.4 million for the Utopia Roadster. This year's Exotics on Broadway last week marked my first time ever seeing the latest Pagani Utopia in person, which showcased two Utopia Coupes and one Utopia Roadster. The two coupes were privately-owned customer cars, while the roadster was provided directly by Pagani. I love all Pagani supercars and believe that Pagani has blessed the world with some of the coolest cars ever made, and the Utopia is no different. In fact, the Utopia might just be my new favorite Pagani model, especially since it is the latest and one of the best-performing vehicles from the Modena-based Italian boutique supercar manufacturer. Besides its amazing specs, the Utopia maintains its marvelous power source of a Mercedes-AMG V12, and its meticulous attention to detail in every aspect of the car is simply impressive.

Tuesday, August 20, 2024

Koenigsegg Jesko Attack/Absolut

This past Saturday, I attended Exotics on Broadway in Monterey for the third consecutive year, and despite the massive crowds, it was by far the greatest car show I attended and will ever attend in 2024. It is seen as the biggest and most notable car show of Monterey Car Week every year and the event to attend in Monterey during the middle of August. This post marks the first of many from this year's edition of Exotics on Broadway that I plan to write and release over the next several weeks and months, and it begins with none other than my favorite of them all if I could only choose one, the Koenigsegg Jesko. Before diving into the Jesko specifically, I should mention that the most significant theme of this year's Exotics on Broadway show was Koenigsegg's 30th anniversary, resulting in the largest gathering of Koenigseggs on U.S. soil to date.

As for the Jesko, it was first unveiled in 2019 as the Agera's successor, while production officially began in 2021. It is motivated by a 5.0-liter twin-turbo V8 churning out 1280 horsepower and 1106 pound-feet of torque on standard gasoline and up to 1600 horsepower on ethanol. Power is sent to the rear wheels via a 9-speed multi-clutch Light Speed Transmission. The Jesko launches from zero to 60 mph in approximately 2.5 seconds, while its top speed is estimated to be around 300 mph. Named after Koenigsegg founder and CEO Christian von Koenigsegg's father, Jesko von Koenigsegg, the Jesko is available in two forms: Attack and Absolut. The Attack is the high-downforce and track-focused version of the Jesko, while the Absolut is styled and geared towards straight-line top-speed runs. Its most notable exterior styling distinctions are the humongous rear wing on the Attack and two rear flaps on the Absolut, both of which are mounted on the engine covers of both versions of the Jesko. Other standard features on the Jesko include rear-wheel steering, Autoskin (opens all vehicle body panels with the press of a button), dihedral doors, and a high-quality interior with a 9-inch touchscreen display with Apple CarPlay compatibility. In addition, Koenigsegg claims that the Jesko can generate 1764 pounds of downforce at 155 mph and up to 3086 pounds at faster speeds.

Only 125 examples of the Koenigsegg Jesko will ever be made, with pricing starting at close to $3 million a pop. This year's Exotics on Broadway show had three examples of the Jesko on display: two Attacks and one Absolut. The blue Attack and gray Absolut were provided directly by Koenigsegg, while the white and red Attack was originally showcased at the Quail this year as the first U.S. customer Jesko. The blue Jesko Attack appeared at last year's Exotics on Broadway show and also set the production vehicle lap record at Laguna Seca with a time of 1:24.86 while at Monterey Car Week this year. I first saw the gray Absolut while attending my first ever Exotics on Broadway show two years ago, and that specific example broke Koenigsegg's own 0-400 km/h-0 record by about a second, with the Jesko Absolut setting a time of 27.83 seconds. With the latest rendition of Exotics on Broadway in the books, I have now seen a total of four Koenigsegg Jeskos in person thus far. Overall, I am obsessed with the Koenigsegg Jesko, and it is at or near the top of my list of favorite cars of all time. The Jesko looks incredibly stunning, sounds wonderful, and has an immaculate attention to detail inside and out. Simply put, it is one of the coolest and fastest cars on the planet, and seeing a few Jesko examples up close was one of the greatest and most exciting aspects of this year's Exotics on Broadway show.