Pagani Chops the Roof Off Its Stick-Shift V12 Work of Art

• Pagani cuts the roof off its V12 Utopia hypercar.
• The new car wears fancy tires that transmit sensor data to the car's computer.
• Yes, you can still get a manual transmission.

Pagani is pulling the wraps off its Monterey Car Week entry early: a drop-top version of its Utopia hypercar. Just 130 lucky plutocrats can purchase the carbon-festooned, (optionally) manual transmission hypercar that miraculously weighs the same as the coupe. Like previous Paganis, the Utopia Roadster is a rolling work of art, and the new folding hardtop adds its own dash of theater. To approximate the look of the coupe, the Roadster's carbon-fiber roof has a skylight right in the middle, so you can bask in the sun even when the top is up. Despite the wildly unique roof arrangement, the Utopia Roadster weighs just 2,822 pounds dry — the exact same figure as its hardtop twin — which Pagani credits to both the car’s incredible carbon-titanium monocoque and its extensive use of “composite materials.”

The Utopia Roadster wears special tires that deserve their own mention. Set on staggered wheels (21 inches up front and 22 inches at the rear), the Pirelli P Zero Corsa Cyber tires will communicate ABS, stability and traction control status, and detected slip, to the car’s computer. The computer can then “ensure maximum performance and the highest level of safety based on driving conditions,” per Pagani. Spinning these techy new tires is the same Mercedes-AMG-derived twin-turbo V12 as is used in the Utopia coupe, putting out an identical 852 horsepower and 811 lb-ft of torque. Again like the coupe, the Utopia Roadster is exclusively rear-wheel-drive, and paired with either a seven-speed manual or automated manual transmission. Top speed is, however, a little shy of the coupe, at 217 miles per hour compared to the hardtop’s 220 mph. Pricing will start at  $3.4 million, if you must know.

Edmunds says

The Pagani Utopia Roadster is a jaw-dropping work of art most of us will never see on the road. Should you be one of the 130 lucky owners, make sure to take videos and pictures for the rest of us.