On this episode of Ignition presented by Tire Rack
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MotorTranscript
00:00 [MUSIC PLAYING]
00:26 This is the Bugatti Huayra Mi 6.
00:29 It has 753 horsepower.
00:31 It costs $2.5 million plus taxes.
00:35 And just 25 are going to be built.
00:37 It's the most exquisite carbon fiber and titanium creation
00:42 from here in the heart of Italy, the heart of supercar
00:46 country.
00:48 To my mind, this car has one job.
00:51 And that is to finally and forever prove that for
00:55 Bugatti, there's life beyond the amazing, iconic Zonda.
01:00 So today, we're going to find out if the Huayra is going to
01:04 emerge from the shadow of the Zonda.
01:07 And it seemed like a pretty good first
01:09 ignition for me as well.
01:11 Poor Johnny.
01:12 He needs a day off.
01:17 [MUSIC PLAYING]
01:31 You remember the Zonda.
01:32 It's the supercar that emerged from nowhere in '99 and
01:36 rendered the traditional competition pretty much
01:39 obsolete.
01:40 Inspired by the McLaren F1 fitted with a Mercedes-AMG V12
01:44 engine, the Zonda is a true classic.
01:47 The Zonda's engine, thanks to founder Horacio Begani's
01:50 personal friendship with Fangio, it remixed traditional
01:53 supercar values with innovative, lightweight
01:56 engineering.
01:57 Created just down the road from Horacio's former employer,
01:59 Lamborghini, it was as outrageous as any Diablo.
02:03 But it's stunning attention to detail and cutting-edge
02:06 materials, while they were from another planet.
02:09 The Zonda was simply lighter, faster, and better than anyone
02:13 could have dared believe.
02:15 It evolved over the years from the original 6-liter C12
02:18 through the 7.3-liter SF and Cinque models, and then grew
02:23 ever more extreme.
02:24 The last Zondas had 760 horsepower, sounded like the
02:28 end of the world, and looked like they'd just driven off
02:31 the grid at Le Mans.
02:32 How do you replace a car like the Zonda?
02:35 Well, you get the impression Begani didn't even quite know.
02:38 But in 2012 came the Huayra.
02:43 The brand new supercar, Begani 2.0.
02:47 The Huayra had a new but still AMG-sourced 6-liter twin
02:50 turbocharged V12, producing 730 horsepower.
02:54 It featured cool, movable aerodynamic bodywork, and the
02:57 usual beautiful attention to detail.
03:00 It was and is fantastic.
03:03 But it isn't a Zonda.
03:06 Quietly, Begani kept on creating extreme Zondas for
03:09 customers who only wanted the original, the icon.
03:13 In fact, they still are.
03:15 Just a few weeks ago at Pebble Beach, another new Zonda was
03:18 revealed.
03:19 It remains the Begani people dream about.
03:23 Can the BC change that?
03:25 Is this the Huayra that makes people realize there's life
03:28 beyond the Zonda for this unique supercar manufacturer?
03:33 So the BC has a big, big job on its hands.
03:37 But it has got all the tools to emerge from the Zonda
03:39 shadow.
03:40 Pretty much everything has changed.
03:42 It only shares the glass roof panels with the standard Huayra
03:45 coupe.
03:46 And all that crazy, outrageous aero was honed in
03:49 collaboration with Dallara.
03:51 So when Begani say this thing produces over 1,300 pounds of
03:54 downforce at 186 miles an hour, you need to believe them.
03:59 Beneath the skin, there's a similar structure to the Huayra.
04:02 There's a few different mounting points, but
04:03 effectively the chassis is the same.
04:05 But that's all right, because this chassis is made of
04:07 carbo-titanium.
04:08 So that's carbon fiber with titanium
04:11 strands weaved into it.
04:12 So it's a super stiff structure.
04:14 But there are a lot of detail changes.
04:17 Suspension's still in board, but this is a new generation
04:19 of Ohlins damper.
04:20 It's fully adjustable.
04:21 It'll come set from the factory.
04:23 But obviously, if you're really, really keen, you can
04:26 muck around with settings for different tracks.
04:28 The brakes feature revised calipers and a new carbon
04:31 ceramic material for greater performance.
04:33 The wheels are 20 inch in diameter at the front and 21
04:36 at the rear, and they're fitted with bespoke P0 Corsa
04:40 tires.
04:41 Each BC also comes with a spare set of wheels fitted
04:44 with Trofeo R tires for track work, too.
04:47 Now, if you come around the back, there's a few changes
04:50 around here as well.
04:51 Still got the transverse gearbox, so it's a really good
04:54 way to keep all of the mass of the car
04:57 right into the center.
04:58 So it's a single clutch, automated, paddle shift box,
05:01 but transverse.
05:02 You need to look at the titanium.
05:04 It's so Pagani, isn't it?
05:05 Titanium exhaust pipes should bring a bit more sound.
05:09 A big change is the adoption of an E-Diff at the rear,
05:12 which has really allowed Pagani to fine tune the car's
05:16 on-limit behavior.
05:17 Pretty much everything's changed.
05:19 This isn't just a Huayra Coupe with a few bits thrown at it.
05:23 It's almost like a completely new car.
05:26 The sum total of all this carbon and titanium goodness
05:29 is a supercar to make you drool.
05:32 But you have to look behind the headline figures
05:34 to appreciate the potential.
05:36 Why?
05:37 Well, the six-liter twin-turbocharged V12
05:40 only produces 753 horsepower.
05:43 Now, I know what you're thinking.
05:45 You can buy a front-engine GT car from Ferrari
05:48 with more power than that and no turbos in sight.
05:51 And you are absolutely right.
05:54 But this car, named BC after the very first Sondrona,
05:57 Benny Cayola, keeps some things properly old school.
06:02 It weighs just 2,685 pounds.
06:05 So I think 753 horsepower should be enough.
06:10 Let's go and find out, shall we?
06:11 [MUSIC PLAYING]
06:15 We can talk about performance in a minute.
06:40 But for me, what's prevented the Huayra
06:43 from becoming an absolute icon like the Zonda?
06:47 It's not really how fast it goes, but it's about character.
06:50 Character that the Zonda had by the bucket load
06:53 because of its normally aspirated, screaming V12.
06:56 Which sort of made your ears bleed, but your heart sing.
07:03 It was one of the great road car engines.
07:10 The new twin-turbo V12, it hasn't got that.
07:14 It just doesn't.
07:15 It's sort of industrial, and it's definitely, definitely
07:22 not beautiful.
07:23 And that seemed odd with the Huayra's sort
07:30 of jewel-like detailing.
07:32 And it's slightly softer, almost GT-like supercar approach.
07:38 But in the BC, somehow, it's more fitting.
07:44 And this car's found its voice.
07:46 And it's angry.
07:54 It's really, really angry.
07:56 So let me be the one to tell you that 753 horsepower in a car
08:07 weighing way less than 3,000 pounds is enough.
08:10 It's plenty, in fact.
08:12 This thing is physically violently fast.
08:17 It might not have the ridiculous power of a Chiron
08:20 or even a P1, but we're so far into the law
08:23 of diminishing returns in this horsepower arms race,
08:26 it just doesn't matter anymore.
08:28 This car has all the performance you need,
08:30 and then a whole heap more.
08:35 And what I like about Pagani not chasing the numbers,
08:39 they've just stuck to their principles.
08:41 And their principles are all about lightweight
08:44 and drivability, all those things that actually matter
08:47 when you're on the road.
08:48 And in this car, it just works.
08:50 And the reason it works is because when
08:55 you've got less mass to accelerate, stop, and turn,
09:00 you get agility, and you get balance,
09:02 and you get this feeling that the car's
09:04 gliding over the surface, but still really digging in.
09:09 And that's the BC.
09:11 Sure, it is stiffer than the normal Huayra.
09:14 And it's more aggressive, but it doesn't
09:22 feel like a track monster.
09:24 You don't care about the ride quality
09:27 because the control is such that you can just
09:31 exploit the car.
09:33 And I keep having to remind myself that this thing costs
09:40 several million dollars.
09:43 It just wants to be driven properly.
09:45 It's absolutely awesome.
09:54 Now, that isn't to say that this car feels darty.
09:59 It's not ultra-pointy and lightweight
10:01 and feel like a modern Ferrari.
10:04 The steering is actually pretty heavy,
10:06 and it's measured rather than hyper-alert.
10:08 But it's intuitive and works in harmony with the BC's chassis.
10:12 It breeds real confidence.
10:15 This car, don't be fooled by all the carbon.
10:19 All the carbon loveliness is not an ornament.
10:22 And every element has properly been
10:25 developed so that you can drive it really, really hard.
10:32 I could go on for hours about the BC on the road,
10:35 but one thing becomes clear pretty quickly.
10:38 Even on an Italian road, in an Italian supercar,
10:42 with lots of friendly Italian police and public cheering you
10:45 on, the BC needs more space.
10:48 To reveal its character in full, I think we need a racetrack.
10:51 Don't you?
10:52 So let's head to the Autodromo di Franchiacorta,
10:58 southeast of Milan, to find out if the BC continues
11:02 to impress, even when it's pushed right to the edge
11:05 and a little bit beyond.
11:06 So all that amazing stuff on the road sort of carries over.
11:20 That's the first impression.
11:21 The engine, which I was really worried about.
11:28 I don't know what I was worried about, to be honest.
11:30 It feels fantastic.
11:32 It's so fast.
11:34 It's so brutal.
11:36 And like I said before, it's not musical.
11:40 And it fits this car, this sort of monstrous, monstrous
11:46 personality that this thing's got.
11:50 Gearbox aside, you can see it's not twinkle, un-smooth, or quick.
11:55 But somehow it works in the car.
11:59 And what I can also feel on the track
12:02 is the chassis balance properly.
12:04 So Begani told me they want these cars to be safe.
12:13 So they're not super pointy.
12:16 But it turns in really well.
12:18 But from mid-corner, you just-- you
12:20 will find the car start to push.
12:24 But that's fine, because you've got this V12 here.
12:27 So if you get in the push--
12:30 bang, more throttle.
12:33 And you get oversteer.
12:35 And I'm just shocked.
12:37 Almost the same as on the road.
12:38 How drivable this thing is on a pretty small track like this.
12:42 Doesn't really suit it in some ways.
12:45 But it feels at home.
12:47 It feels light.
12:48 It changes direction.
12:50 There's a bit of safety understeer.
12:54 From mid-corner.
12:56 But you can utilize it easily with the throttle.
12:59 And that, again, says a lot about how well this engine is
13:03 mapped.
13:04 Because the throttle response is really good.
13:08 And it just gives you the confidence
13:10 to push this car way harder than you would think--
13:18 you would be keen to do.
13:21 So you really feel the benefits of the lightweight build
13:25 of this car, particularly on a really wiggly little track
13:29 like this, where you've got to be in the brakes all the time.
13:32 The pedals may be a little bit longer than I'd like.
13:35 But the carbon ceramics have endurance.
13:40 Because they're just-- although they're
13:42 stopping this crazy force, they just
13:45 don't have too much mass to deal with.
13:47 So the car feels built for the track.
13:50 And it doesn't feel like you're abusing it
13:52 when you're driving around, which is a lovely feeling.
13:55 I mean, things I never thought I'd do--
14:04 hitch a wire into a third gear corner.
14:07 Let's see what happens.
14:09 Yes!
14:13 I really, really like this car.
14:19 The Zonda's great.
14:22 So is the Huayra BC.
14:24 What a thing.
14:25 OK, OK.
14:31 So I got carried away.
14:33 But with an empty racetrack and a Huayra BC, wouldn't you?
14:37 I guess what I was trying to say is
14:39 that the Zonda might never, ever really
14:41 be usurped as the iconic Pagani, the symbol
14:45 of an incredible and unlikely supercar story.
14:48 But that's OK.
14:49 The Huayra BC doesn't replace it, doesn't eclipse it.
14:53 But they're brothers.
14:54 And they stand shoulder to shoulder
14:56 in this extraordinary factory, on the road,
14:59 and now in my affections.
15:02 This-- this is the real deal.
15:05 Who could ask for more than that?
15:07 We're just going to do some talking.
15:16 And then we'll be back.
15:18 Probably 20 more.
15:19 OK.
15:24 [ENGINE REVVING]
15:26 you