This Italian hypercar maker can’t stop saving manuals

The Pagani Huayra Codalunga Speedster combines massive V12 power, rear-wheel drive and a choice of stick shift or automatic transmission.

Pagani Huayra Codalunga Speedster's gated manual transmission — *This seven-speed manual transmission is available on the Pagani Huayra Codalunga Speedster. – Pagani Automobili photo*

I don’t know who coined the expression “save the manuals” but one Italian hypercar brand is certainly doing this noble work.

Pagani has announced the launch of the Huayra Codalunga Speedster, an open-top version of the Huayra Codalunga coupe, which had its own launch a few years ago.

Pagani will build only 10 units of the Speedster and those select few buyers will have a choice of a seven-speed transverse automated manual transmission or a pure manual gearbox.

*The Pagani Huayra Codalunga Speedster is an open-top version of the Huayra Codalunga*. Here you can see it with the roof on or off. – *Pagani Automobili photos*

Despite the car’s extremely limited production numbers, Pagani said the Speedster is homologated for road use worldwide, meaning Canadians have a shot at it.

Don’t ask us what the price is because we don’t know, but this is definitely one of those cases of if you have to ask, you can’t afford it.

The Huayra Codalunga Speedster is powered by a Mercedes-AMG-sourced twin-turbo 6-litre V12 engine producing 852 hp and 811 lb.-ft. of torque, with all that power sent to the rear wheels.

The car is built around a Carbo-Titanium and Carbo-Triax monocoque, which is said to be both lightweight and strong with uncompromising structural rigidity and safety.

The Speedster has a dry weight of 1,270 kilograms (2,800 pounds).

The car’s top speed is electronically limited at 350 km/h (217 mph).

Pagani Huayra Codalunga Speedster side — *The Pagani Huayra Codalunga Speedster was inspired by race cars of the ’50s and ’60s. – Pagani Automobili photo*

Inspiration

The car’s design is inspired by race cars of the 1950s and ’60s. The project began as a sketch by Horacio Pagani, the company’s founder and chief designer, who intended a car for clients seeking a balance between elegance and powerful performance.

“The Huayra Codalunga Speedster is a tribute to those who imagine their sports car as an icon of lightness and momentum, shaped by essential lines that transcend time with ease,” Horacio Pagani said in a news release.

“In the 1950s and ’60s, racing cars could merge performance and beauty in an almost poetic balance. They had to be fast, but also light, sleek, and designed with meticulous attention to detail. Romantic lines, timeless. Then something changed. Efficiency started to overshadow elegance,” said Lorenzo Kerkoc, head of Pagani Grandi Complicazioni, in a news release. Grandi Complicazioni is Pagani’s bespoke division, which is creating the Speedster.

“With the Huayra Codalunga Speedster, we wanted to go back there. To that era of refined speed. We removed aerodynamic appendages and side air intakes. We pursued clean, tapered forms designed to cut through the air quietly, without unnecessary noise. A different kind of Pagani, built around an idea of visual and formal lightness.”

Customer deliveries are expected to begin in 2026.