We drive the one of five Pagani Codalunga supercars
The mercury is hovering around low single figures, wet asphalt and November gloom conspiring to keep tyre temperature well below optimum. The narrow Italian road, 1.5 car width’s wide, snakes ahead. Or at least I imagine it does, because the mist is so heavy and cloying that visibility is reduced to mere metres.
In fact, two customers are the very reason the Codalunga came to be. Both multiple Pagani owners, the pals approached the firm back in 2018 with a very brief brief, focused around the Huayra but with added uniqueness and a sprinkling of inspiration from Le Mans prototypes of the 1960s and 70s. There’s a sports exhaust button down on the centre console and you’ll want to press that every time you get in the car. It doesn’t scream like a Zonda of old – naturally-aspirated vs forced induction is partly to blame – but there’s a purposefulness to the V12 that echoes off these Italian hills.
The gearbox requires you to engage brain before upshifting, easing the throttle ever so slightly so the cog swap is smoother. It’s not as awkward as the transmission in the Ferrari Enzo, but it’s not the brain-out dual clutch effort of so many modern cars. Likewise the speed – it piles on with a ferocity and determination that shocks, even in this age of sub-5 EVs. Weighing just 1280kg dry, it’s no wonder that you have to be respectful of the Codalunga’s potential.