Pagani Huayra Roadster BC: a simply incredible supercar
Italian brand Pagani’s latest roadster is a motoring masterpiece. Jasper Spires reports.


For a car enthusiast, “seeing a $4m Pagani Huayra Roadster BC in the wild is akin to laying eyes on the Mona Lisa,” says Tony Quiroga in Car and Driver. The supercar is the pinnacle of motoring artistry, with bodywork that has been sculpted with more skill and dedication than anything you’d find in an art gallery nowadays and, like all great works, there is a strict limit to supply, with only 40 cars being built.
Tarmac-melting performance
The machine is also atom-splittingly fast, with a top speed of 257mph and a 0-60mph sprint time of just 3.3 seconds. “Once those 12 cylinders all start pushing in the same direction, well, let me tell you, Newton’s laws of physics really don’t stand a chance,” says David Booth on driving.ca. “Punching the throttle of a Pagani, I think, is as close as a road-based vehicle gets to the relentlessness of a Space-X booster rocket. The thing just doesn’t ever let up.” Churning 791 horsepower through a paltry 1,250kg body, the Roadster BC is powered by a Mercedes-AMG V12 which can hit 6,500rpm and generates “tarmac-melting torque”.
It handles well too. Even at high speeds, the steering remains stable as 500kg of aerodynamic downforce presses the tyres into the earth, and computer-controlled suspension keeps it from lifting off around corners. If you’re going fast enough, it can even hit 1.9Gs on a hairpin bend; the engineers having tuned the ride to perfection.
MoneyWeek
Subscribe to MoneyWeek today and get your first six magazine issues absolutely FREE

Sign up to Money Morning
Don't miss the latest investment and personal finances news, market analysis, plus money-saving tips with our free twice-daily newsletter
Don't miss the latest investment and personal finances news, market analysis, plus money-saving tips with our free twice-daily newsletter
It is all maybe a tad too much for the street, says Jonny Lieberman in Motor Trend. “I was a touch scared and alarmed. I was also eyes-wide smiling while shouting something to the effect of mio Dio while simultaneously swearing profusely.”
A tasteful, futuristic look
The car’s design is space age and futuristically insectoid in appearance, with arcane silver curves and aerodynamic grooves along the bodywork. “The colour combination of the interior is also tasteful,” says Motor Authority, “the look is warm and inviting thanks to brown leather with tartan inserts on the seats in combination with exposed carbon fibre and grey Alcantara on other surfaces.”
For the price of nearly £3m, you could instead pick out a sizeable Tuscan villa, a small island somewhere in the South Pacific, or a Velázquez masterpiece. But none of those will raise your hairs on end, throw your heart into your mouth at 250mph, and make every motorist within earshot drool over your engine rattle.
Get the latest financial news, insights and expert analysis from our award-winning MoneyWeek team, to help you understand what really matters when it comes to your finances.
Jasper is a former writer for the MoneyWeek and he wrote on an array of topics including travel, investing in crypto and bitcoin, as well as cars. Previous to that he freelanced at The Art Newspaper, PORT Magazine and The Spectator. Jasper is currently a freelance writer at FAD magazine and he has an English literature degree from the University of Exeter, and a Master's degree from UCL.
-
Is it time to ride the recovery in emerging markets?
Interview What's the outlook for emerging markets? Gustavo Medeiros, head of research at Ashmore Group, gives his analysis and reviews progress in developing economies
-
Could the Enterprise Investment Scheme cut your tax bill?
The Enterprise Investment Scheme is tax-efficient and potentially lucrative. Taking a chance on the scheme could trim your family’s IHT bill, says David Prosser
-
The alcohol industry is suffering as consumers sober up – is it still worth investing in the sector?
Changing consumer tastes are rocking the alcohol industry, but the best players are adapting their strategies. Buy them while their shares are still cheap
-
Giorgio Armani: the irreplaceable Il Signore
Giorgio Armani started his fashion business in 1975 and built it into the world’s largest private luxury brand. Where can it go without him?
-
8 of the best properties for sale with mountain views
The best properties for sale with mountain views – from an Arts & Crafts house with holiday lets in the Carding Mill Valley in Shropshire to a highland lodge with wood-burning stoves near the Rogie Falls in the Scottish Highlands
-
Review: Puerto Rico – embrace the spirit of Boricua
Travel Natasha Langan discovers why the indigenous name for Puerto Rico has come to define this Caribbean island’s vibrant culture
-
8 of the best beachside properties for sale
The best beachside properties for sale – from an Arts & Crafts house in Hampshire with 128 metres of beach frontage, to a 16th-century house in Norfolk, just 300 metres from a Blue Flag beach
-
A voyage of discovery through the Baltic countries
Travel Max King explores the rich history, culture and cuisine of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania
-
Are wealthy whisky enthusiasts leaving Britain?
Collectables Wealthy whisky enthusiasts are heading to tax-friendly countries such as Dubai, where there is more disposable income to spend on collectable luxuries like rare whisky.
-
8 of the best properties for sale with kitchen gardens
The best properties for sale with kitchen gardens – from a 17th-century timber-framed hall house in Norfolk, to an Arts & Crafts house in West Sussex designed by Charles Voysey with a garden by Gertrude Jekyll