Nearly 10 years ago, Pagani Automobili founder Horacio Pagani tasked his team of engineers—more aptly described as artisans—with meeting just three core objectives for the marque’s latest supercar, the Utopia: simplicity, lightness, and the pure joy of driving. If the rigor of these objectives is not immediately obvious, then consider the results of the model’s development timeline; six years from paper to prototype (of which eight were constructed), and along the way Pagani’s engineers crafted no fewer than 12 scale models from clay or composites—including two full-size specimens, alongside one additional wind-tunnel model. All this, for a vehicle which would have no more than 99 examples constructed.

Finally unveiled in September 2022, with customer deliveries commencing 13 months later, the Utopia is only the third all-new model in the boutique manufacturer’s lineage, following the Zonda C12 of 1999 and the Huayra that succeeded it in 2011. Despite its refinement, the Utopia exudes a raw, visceral character—a defining paradox that runs through the DNA of every Pagani.

While the car retains Pagani’s signature exotic composite architecture—Carbo-Triax, Carbo-Titanium—the Utopia introduces a new aesthetic-focused material: A-class carbon fibre. Developed specifically for bodywork applications, this carbon variant offers an increase in stiffness without adding any weight, enhancing both performance and visual drama. But the simplicity of the Utopia is perhaps most clearly evident when cataloguing what it lacks, visually, in comparison to other Pagani designs. That is, a retinue of aerofoils, flaps, canards, multi-tiered spoilers, and overt aerodynamic devices, which draw attention to the manufacturer’s long-standing focus on harnessing downforce. Instead, the Utopia features a much more solid, deliberate aesthetic that is generally free from any aerodynamic interruptions.

Beneath its sculpted form, tucked just behind the cockpit, lies the beating heart of the Utopia: the Mercedes-AMG M158 engine. Hand-assembled in Affalterbach, Germany, this 6.0-litre twin-turbocharged V-12 produces 864 horsepower and 1,100 Nm of torque in Utopia specification. While buyers can choose between a seven-speed manual or an automated single-clutch transmission, initial production cars—like the one seen here—came exclusively with the latter, a gearbox provided by Xtrac.

Inside, the Utopia is no less spectacular. Every component feels like a sculpture in motion. Brilliantly milled aluminium dominates the cabin, with the steering wheel and gear selector standing out as immediate centrepieces. Even the smallest details—toggles, vents, switches—are crafted with obsessive attention and care. Rarely seen until now, and among the first examples of this model delivered to a customer, the Utopia offered here is a Swiss-market car which wears Rosso Dubai paintwork and red visual carbon fibre over red-and-black leather upholstery. At the time of cataloguing, the odometer read just 48 kilometres.

The Utopia is a study in contrasts: raw yet refined, beautiful yet purposeful, mechanical yet artistic. It is, unmistakably, a Pagani.