15 September 2022
John Lennon’s song Imagine is a Utopian poem, and like all utopian works, it’s about the present and not the future, and boy has Horatio Pagani decided on the present. He uses a twin-turbocharged 864bhp V8 petrol engine built specifically for him by Mercedes-AMG, with no additional electric motors or heavy batteries, and comes with a 7-speed manual gearbox.
This is music to my ears, not that I don’t appreciate the need for electrification; a quote from Neill Watson says it all, ‘My love of the internal combustion engine is tempered by the knowledge that the future doesn’t involve it.’
The Utopia is said to ‘radiate simplicity’ despite being of the present. Pagani says the Utopia ‘is flowing and curvaceous’ producing a more timeless design.’
The Alchemy of Pleasure, the Equation of Pleasure
As Pagani has only built three different cars and is now in its third decade, Horatio has always allowed sufficient time to satisfy his goals. This time for planning includes his relevant clients, and when asked what they would want from the new creation, three points became clear; Simplicity, Lightness and Pleasure of Driving.
And he will undoubtedly have achieved these features without the need for large rear wings and numerous spoilers; Pagani has gained a massive downforce and reduced drag by the elegant and efficient design.
Pagani will be built only 99, with a £2.2 million price tag.
