The Huayra is powered by a 6.0-litre twin-turbocharged M158 V12 engine developed by Mercedes-AMG specifically for the car. It produces 740 PS (730 hp) at 5,800 rpm and 1,000 Nm of torque between 2,250 and 4,500 rpm. Smaller turbochargers and a revised intercooler configuration were specified by Pagani to reduce turbo lag. The engine uses dry sump lubrication to ensure oil supply under extreme lateral acceleration and to allow a lower mounting position that reduces the centre of gravity.
The Huayra uses a seven-speed sequential gearbox with a single-disc clutch, a deliberate choice to save more than 70 kg compared with a dual-clutch unit. The transmission weighs 96 kg. Brakes are by Brembo, with six-piston calipers at the front and four-piston at the rear, over drilled carbon-ceramic rotors 380 mm in diameter and 34 mm thick. Using Pirelli tyres, the car achieves 1.66 g of lateral acceleration. Top speed is approximately 383 km/h and the 0–97 km/h acceleration time is 2.8 seconds. The titanium exhaust system, built by MHG-Fahrzeugtechnik using hydroformed joints and Inconel silencers, weighs under 10 kg.
Unlike the Zonda, the Huayra incorporates an active aerodynamic system with four independently operating flaps at the front and rear of the car. A dedicated control unit receives data from the ABS and ECU — including speed, yaw rate, lateral acceleration, steering angle, and throttle position — and adjusts the flaps to optimise either drag or downforce as required. The drag coefficient varies between 0.31 and 0.37. The system also counteracts body roll by raising flaps on the inside of a corner to increase downforce on that side, and deploys the rear flaps as an airbrake under hard braking to counteract forward weight transfer.
The Huayra BC was unveiled at the 2016 Geneva Motor Show. It is named after Benny Caiola, a close friend of founder Horacio Pagani and the brand's very first customer. The BC uses an enhanced version of the M158 V12 producing 764 PS at 5,900 rpm and 1,000 Nm from 2,500 to 5,600 rpm. Dry weight is reduced by 132 kg to 1,218 kg through the use of a material called carbon triax, claimed by Pagani to be 50 per cent lighter and 20 per cent stronger than standard carbon fibre, yielding a power-to-weight ratio of 1.62 kg per horsepower. The BC rides on Pirelli P-Zero Corsa tyres incorporating twelve different rubber compounds. Its suspension wishbones are made from Avional, an aeronautical-grade aluminium. Visual changes include a new front splitter with winglets, deeper side skirts, and a full-width rear diffuser with a large rear wing. The BC uses an Xtrac seven-speed sequential transmission. Pagani planned 20 units but produced 30, to the frustration of some early customers.
Unveiled at the 2017 Geneva Motor Show after two years of development, the Huayra Roadster uses the same M158 V12 but tuned to 764 PS at 6,200 rpm and 1,000 Nm at 2,400 rpm. A removable top replaces the coupé's gullwing doors, which cannot be accommodated on an open car. The Roadster weighs 1,280 kg — 70 kg less than the coupé — making it at the time of launch the first roadster lighter than its equivalent coupe. Power goes to the rear wheels through a seven-speed Xtrac automated manual with hydraulic and electronic activation and carbon synchronisers. Production is limited to 100 units, all sold before delivery. Pagani claims 816 kg of downforce and 1.8 lateral g.
Introduced in July 2019, the Huayra Roadster BC is the track version of the Roadster. Its 6.0-litre twin-turbo V12 is rated at 802 PS and 1,050 Nm. The seven-speed Xtrac single-clutch sequential gearbox is 35 per cent lighter than a comparable dual-clutch unit. Dry weight is 1,250 kg, slightly heavier than the coupé BC but 30 kg lighter than the standard Roadster. The monocoque is made of carbon-titanium HP62 material. A fixed rear wing and full aerodynamic package are claimed to generate 500 kg of downforce at 280 km/h. The exhaust incorporates flaps in the catalytic converters that divert gases across underfloor elements in a manner analogous to a Formula 1 blown diffuser. Production is limited to 40 units.
The Imola, introduced in February 2020 and named after the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari where it underwent 16,000 km of testing, uses the Mercedes-AMG V12 tuned to 838 PS and 1,100 Nm. Dry weight is 1,246 kg. Six were built: five for customers and one prototype for Pagani. The Tricolore of December 2020, built to mark the 60th anniversary of Italy's Frecce Tricolori aerobatic display team, is an unpainted roadster finished only in clear blue lacquer with red, white, and green stripes; its V12 produces 829 hp. Three customer units were made. The Huayra R, introduced in March 2021 as the track-only successor to the Zonda R, uses a new naturally aspirated 6.0-litre V12 built from scratch by HWA AG producing 850 PS at 8,250 rpm with a 9,000 rpm redline; dry weight is 1,050 kg and 30 cars are planned at €2.6 million each. The Codalunga of June 2022, priced from €7 million, pays homage to 1960s racing car lines such as the Porsche 917 and is limited to five units; all were sold before the car's public unveiling.
The Huayra established Pagani's reputation for combining artisanal Italian coachbuilding with cutting-edge engineering partnerships. The exclusive Mercedes-AMG engine supply arrangement, the bespoke titanium exhaust work, and the carbon triax material development all underscored Pagani's approach of treating each model as an engineering project in its own right rather than a rebodied platform. Its active aerodynamic system, unusual for a road car at the time of launch, anticipated technologies that would become common on track-focused hypercars later in the decade.
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