Creating a roadster from a supercar is part of the developmental process of the cars we see from automakers such as Ferrari, Pagani, Lamborghini and others. Most of the time the simplest way to create the roadster is to cut off the top and put on a convertible roof. That’s really all there is to turning a regular coupe version of a supercar into one that’s a convertible roadster model for us to enjoy. While this may seem like the simple way to do things, there’s no evidence that Pagani wants to ever do things the easy way.
The Huayra Coupe debuted in 2011 as a model that is absolutely gorgeous and a vehicle that seems like it fits the way Pagani wants it to. The rumor that a convertible version would be offered soon started as soon as the coupe showed up but it has taken until now for Pagani to figure out how to cut the roof off and add a convertible top. It seems far too long for this to have taken place when it should have happened at least a couple years ago, leaving us with the question of why did we have to wait this long?
As Pagani began to work on the Roadster they weren’t happy with the idea of just cutting off the top to make it a convertible. In 2013 they scrapped the idea and began from the ground up to create the new model that you’ll see on the market very soon. They even went back to the design process and made the Pagani Huayra Roadster into its own project with no other models on the build for it. What we see as the result of this rebuild and redesign is certainly more than worth the wait.
Typically a convertible variant of a car is heavier than the original coupe. That’s not the case with the Huayra Roadster. This car weighs in at a scant 2,822 pounds which is a full 176 pounds lighter than the coupe version. This change in weight was the result of Pagani creating a new carbon fiber compound called Cabo-Triax HP52 which is said to be lighter and stiffer than the previous composite material. This new compound is more advanced that what’s currently being used on Formula 1 cars and increase the stiffness by 52 percent to give us a material that’s much better than before.
The power for the Roaster still comes from the V12 engine that’s been sourced from Mercedes-AMG. This twin turbocharged engine produces 764 horsepower while being attached to a seven-speed automatic transmission. The suspension did lose some of the weight by being built with a lightweight aluminum alloy that’s called HiForg. The doors do have to follow a more traditional pattern because it is a convertible, but that seems a small tradeoff for a convertible that’s so light and quick on the road and track while bringing in the insane power we want to see.
This new Roadster does come with two different roofs that can be ordered on it. One is made of carbon fiber and offers a glass window and the other is a fabric roof that can be stored in the car for easy storage. There will only be 100 of these cars made and that number has already been reached by the super wealthy that can afford to pay $2.4 million to have a car like this. We will receive more details about this version of the Pagani Huayra Roadster as we get closer to the Geneva Motor Show where it will make its official debut.
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