Pagani's Gorgeous, Stick-Shift Utopia Roadster Is No Heavier Than the Coupe

Just under two years ago, Pagani surprised the world with the reveal of a brand-new manual transmission-equipped supercar equipped with a twin-turbo V-12 named the Utopia. The Utopia's optional stick shift, grumbling 12-cylinder engine, and meticulously detailed interior make it spectacular, but it was still missing one detail: the ability to feel the wind in your hair. (Or, for some people, the ability to be clearly seen driving it.) As of July 30, Pagani has fixed that by revealing a droptop variant.

The Pagani Utopia Roadster, unsurprisingly, looks quite a lot like the Utopia coupe, making it easy to recognize to anyone already familiar with Pagani's work. As is tradition for the brand, a central four-exit exhaust caps off a wide body with huge oval-shaped elements and flared rear fenders. The biggest change in the design is the roof, which is a hard lid with a large, fixed moonroof.

The Utopia Roadster offers one feature something unique amongst convertibles: at 2,822 pounds, the Utopia Roadster weighs exactly the same as its fixed-roof relatives. Pagani says this feat is a result of the car's rigid monocoque, which allowed the brand to design the roadster without any extra chassis reinforcement. The Utopia Roadster is also the first-ever car to communicate directly with Pirelli's new in-tire sensors. That system, called Pirelli Cyber, allows sensors inside the tread to communicate with the car's ABS, ESP, and traction control systems in real time.

Pagani says that the Utopia Roadster is approved for worldwide road use. 130 examples will be built, all starting at $3.35 million — before local taxes, of course. If you can afford one, I'd argue there are few better ways to use the money.

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