Tested: OfficialPagani Huayra Roadster BC exists on a higher plane:
A 3051-pound tribute to the carbon-fiber medium, the Roadster is as much a sculpture as it is a car. It's the latest in theRoadster line, which dates to 2017. Only 40 of the targa-top-style BCs will ever exist, so the company is able to labor over each one for a while. Meticulously aligned carbon-fiber panels, titanium fasteners engraved with"Pagani," leather straps that lock the front and rear clamshells in place—the creator's marks are all over the thing.
A steel-subframe latticework bolts to the back of the carbon-fiber passenger tub and supports the control-arm rear suspension, the Mercedes-AMG-sourced 791-hp twin-turbo 6.0-liter V-12, and the seven-speed automated manual. In normal use, the engine is quieter than expected, but if you're leaning into the accelerator, there is an explosion of sound around 4000 rpm. At wide-open throttle, a merciless 95 decibels will ring your ears.
Eventually, we get the throttle feathering just right, and the rear tires connect, mostly. But even if you do manage to harness the thrust into forward progress, first gear finds the 6500-rpm redline just below 60 mph. The old-school single-clutch transmission takes its time with that shift, adding precious tenths to the 60-mph time, coming in at 3.3 seconds.