Mamma mia! The Pagani Huayra R Evo is a roofless track-only hypercar with 888bhp

Ready thine ears and hearts, for this is the new Pagani Huayra R Evo: a car for those who reckon 2021's 'standard’ Huayra R a touch slow, and perhaps a little quiet.

Clearly, these people exist, because the new Evo gets a refreshed 6.0-litre HWA powerplant featuring a new intake manifold, new camshafts and a recalibrated ECU resulting in 888bhp (versus the R's 850bhp) and a 9,200rpm redline (versus the R's 9k). Should make those people happy, one suspects.

Should make everyone happy, in fact, because this Evo looks absolutely glorious. “The inspiration for the design of the Huayra R Evo struck me during a Formula Indy race in Nashville,” says boss Horacio Pagani. “As I observed the single-seater cars with their aeroscreens, the idea of creating a car with protective polycarbonate surfaces and the option to remove the two roof panels to be fully immersed in the allure of the air and the captivating sound of the engine, dawned on me.

“From that moment on, we set out with the goal of creating a beautiful car, subjective as that term may be, harmonious in its lines and strong in its character. The final result is a true descendant of the Huayra R, one of the cars our customers love the most."

The man's a poet as well as a technical wizard. Of course, the long-tail body comes straight from the special Huayra Codalunga road car, but by using it as the base for an updated track hypercar, Pagani says the 190mm extension resulted in a 45 per cent increase in downforce and a 21 per cent increase in aerodynamic efficiency. Not bad.

There’s a monstrous new diffuser that helps in that regard, plus the giant rear wing now gets a central ‘stabilising’ fin. Oh, and despite what you might think, Pagani says that by popping out the panels and opening up the roof, total downforce is boosted by an extra five per cent.

Elsewhere, the carbon ceramic Brembo brakes have been improved with a 14 per cent increase in the braking area on the disc and pads up front. There’s new Pirelli P Zero slick tyres too, and the front splitter has protruded forward by a full 101mm. The engine and six-speed sequential gearbox are still structural members bolted directly to the carbon tub, and we’re told that there’s an all-new heave damper (a third hydraulic element) added to the suspension setup thanks to all the extra downforce.

All of these updates apparently allow the Evo to sit roughly on par with the performance of current LMP2 cars, and if you’ve got enough cash, you can buy one and jump straight in it at one of Pagani’s Arte in Pista track days.

Those track days are shared with Huayra Rs, Zonda Rs and Zonda Revolucions, which should mean the noise is rather special. Oh, and Pagani brings along professional drivers to coach you, professional mechanics to look after the car and dedicated motorsports physiotherapists and nutritionists to warm you up and pack your lunchbox.

So, anyone thinking of chopping in their old Huayra R for the Evo?