Pagani unveils Huayra Tricolore

ITALIAN supercar specialist Pagani has revealed its latest special-edition Huayra, the Tricolore, of which only three examples will be built, each going for a cool €5.5million ($A8,853,233) plus on-road costs.

Built to commemorate the 60^th anniversary of the Frecce Tricolori – the aerobatic demonstration team of the Italian air force – the Huayra Tricolore is powered by the same twin-turbocharged 6.0-litre V12 petrol engine as found in the track-focused Imola variant, tuned to produce 618kW of power at 5900rpm and 1100Nm of torque between 2000-5600rpm.

Given the peak power output is actually 2kW higher than in the Imola, the Tricolore takes the crown as the most powerful Huayra to date with drive channelled exclusively to the rear wheels via a seven-speed sequential transmission.

While still unmistakably a Huayra, Pagani says the Tricolore sports a new body made entirely from advanced composite materials “specially designed and developed to reach new targets in terms of lightness and performance”.

When all is said and done, the Tricolore weighs in at 1270kg dry, resulting in a power-to-weight ratio of 493kW per tonne.

No performance figures have been quoted however we would it expect it to easily match the standard Huayra’s 3.2-second dash to 100km/h and 380km/h top speed.

The front of the car brandishes a completely redesigned and more aggressive front splitter as well as a new front bumper adorned with side extractors which direct more air into the various intakes to help keep the monstrous engine cool.

Poking out up above the open-top cabin is a fully functional air-scoop which further aids cooling by channelling air directly into the engine bay while the physical lines of the scoop leading back toward the large rear wing are said to be a nod to the design of the Aermacchi MB-339As used by the Frecce Tricolori.

The wing itself is fully integrated with the mid-ship bonnet and has been purpose-built to work cooperatively with the front splitter with its supports shaped to resemble the tailfin of the jets.

Underneath the wing is a unique carbon one-piece diffuser designed to extract as much air as possible out from under the car.

Speaking of the undercarriage, the Tricolore rides on a Carbo-Titanium HP62 G2 and Carbo-Triax HP62 monocoque chassis designed to be both lighter and stiffer than the standard Huayra’s.

Suspension duties are taken care of by a double-independent set-up featuring electronically controlled coil springs and shock absorbers while the forged monolithic aluminium alloy wheels (20-inch front, 21-inch rear) are shod with fat Pirelli P Zero Trofeo R tyres.

Braking specialist Brembo supplies the stopping hardware with the 398×36mm ventilated carbon-ceramic discs being clamped by six-piston callipers up front while a set of four-pot callipers act on 380×34mm discs at the rear.

All of these lightweight and extra performance measures are hardly new ground for Pagani and are largely par for the course in a hypercar’s lifecycle with the Tricolore being the twelfth special-edition Huayra to emerge from the Modena production facility.

The Tricolore’s trump card however – apart from its flagship performance and unique body – is its triple-hue colour scheme.

The vast majority of the body is a translucent blue through which the physical weave of the carbon-fibre is visible, however the car’s signature is its green, white and red livery running along the side of the body from the back of the front wheelarches to the rear bumper in a proud display of the Italian national colours.

The tri-colour theme is continued within the cabin too with green, white and red stripe inserts on the two-tone upholstery while the tri-colour Frecce Tricolori logo has been etched onto the four-point harness buckle and embossed on the seat headrests.

According to Pagani founder and CEO Horacio Pagani, the Huayra Tricolore is not just a commemorative celebration of the Frecce Tricolori, but also a “symbol of unity and national pride”.

“In a year, 2020, which has put our country to the test like never before, we are proud to be able to celebrate a symbol of unity and national pride such as the Frecce Tricolori, a milestone that has emerged from an era of values and passion, and a long period of time in which men and machines were able and had to surpass themselves, day after day,” he said.

“For all of us, the Frecce represent an example of determination, a demonstration of what the strong desire to move forward and overcome obstacles can achieve. We hope that Huayra Tricolore will be a worthy tribute.”

The ‘Tricolore’ name first appeared on a Pagani in 2010 when the brand launched the Zonda Tricolore which was essentially a reskinned Cinque designed to celebrate the 50^th anniversary of the Frecce Tricolori.