$6.7M Pagani Huayra Tricolore hypercar is a tribute to the Italian Air Force
This 829-hp roadster is the most powerful Pagani yet, and only three will be built.
Of the many special editions of the Zonda that Pagani released over the hypercar's long production run, one of the rarest and most sought-after is the Tricolore, which was unveiled in 2010. The Zonda Tricolore was a tribute to the Italian Frecce Tricolori aerobatic team, and it was finished in blue-tinted carbon fiber with Italian flag accents. It was faster and much more expensive than a standard Zonda, and only three were built. Now that the current Huayra's production run is also winding down, Pagani has unveiled a Tricolore version of the Huayra that's even wilder than its Zonda predecessor.
Inspiration was yet again drawn from the Italian Air Force's aerobatic team, which is celebrating its 60th anniversary next year. Pagani specifically looked to the Aermacchi MB-339A PAN jets used by the team, stunning planes that can hit speeds of over 550 mph above sea level and perform jaw-dropping stunts. The Tricolore was designed with extreme lightness in mind, achieved through the extensive use of composite materials and aviation tech.
As with all other Huayras, the Tricolore uses a twin-turbo 6.0-liter V12 engine sourced from Mercedes-AMG, but the Tricolore gets a big power bump. It makes 829 horsepower and 811 pound-feet of torque, increases of 38 hp and 37 lb-ft over the already extremely powerful Huayra BC Roadster. No performance specs are provided, but given that Pagani says the Huayra Tricolore weighs just 2,800 pounds dry, it should be monstrously fast. The chassis has been upgraded, too, with increased rigidity thanks to its composite construction.
Pagani thoroughly worked over the Huayra's styling to ensure the best possible aerodynamics. There's a redesigned front bumper with a more complex splitter, new wheels with a design inspired by propellers, and a larger rear diffuser. The large rear wing is seamlessly integrated into the rear deck, with mounts that echo the shape of the plane's, and Pagani says it perfectly compensates for the increased front-end downforce. I'm always a sucker for a roof scoop, so my favorite new part is the gorgeous central intake that sits between the roll hoops and feeds cold air directly to the engine.
That looks like fun.
The Huayra Tricolore's body is made completely from blue carbon fiber, and there's a prominent red, green and white tricolor stripe across the sides, matching that of the planes. The Tricolori's logo, which is made of three three-pointed stars in the colors of the Italian flag, is found on the Huayra's nose. Components like the front splitter, aero flaps and side mirrors are black carbon, while bits like the headlight pods and side-scoop garnishes are blue anodized aluminum.
On the inside the Tricolore gets white and blue leather seats with Italian flag stripes, and the Tricolori logo is embroidered into the headrests and found on the four-point racing harnesses. All of the super-light aluminum is anodized blue to match the exterior parts, and the gear shifter is milled from a single block of aluminum and carbon fiber and then hand-polished with a transparent finish. Even the floor mats are made from composites. Weirdly, Pagani didn't release any photos of the interior, so we'll just have to take its word for how interesting it is.
Because of course you need an air speed gauge.
But the coolest (and strangest) feature is something we've not seen on any other production car. Mounted on the nose of the car is a Pitot tube, a metal measuring device that's typically uses on planes to measure air speed. And it does the same thing here, with a dedicated gauge on the center console displaying air speed to the occupants. It's pretty useless but very cool, and isn't that what hypercars are all about?
As with the Zonda, only three Huayra Tricolores will be built, with an immense starting price of $6,745,000 before Europe's taxes. Each of the three gets a unique number painted on the wing and front end that matches the Tricolori's three formation leaders: No. 0, the commander who directs the show from the ground, No. 1, the head of formation who leads the group, and No. 10, the soloist who does the craziest stunts. If you've got a spare $7 million lying around and want one, it's probably too late, as the Huayra Tricolore is likely already sold out.
