I remember, back when I was like fifteen, when getting to sit in a supercar was an unbelievable thrill. It was before I had a driver’s license, so driving them still seemed so far off in the distance, and sitting in a car at an event was sort of the pinnacle experience among my friends and I. We always used to talk to owners with the hopes of buttering them up before popping the big question, “So, can I sit in it?”

It seems like a simple request, but with many owners, you might as well be saying, “I really love your wife’s breasts, mind if I have myself a feel?” Such cars many people can hold that dearly to themselves. There were always the “cool” owners who obliged us, and a few complete jerks who wouldn’t. Some of my favorite reactions actually came from company representatives, who had forgotten to lock the cars at events, like, “Excuse me, sir. Are you being…. helped?” (to a 15 year old kid), or “You think you can just sit in whatever cars you please?” Well yes, if the door is open I think I will.

Anyway, since starting this site, I have had the great fortune of getting to drive many “dream cars,” and I must say that simply sitting in a Lamborghini doesn’t quite do for me what it used to any more. However, this year we went to The Quail, A Motorsports Gathering, and there I was given the opportunity to sit in my (above all others) dream car, the Pagani Huayra. The excitement was back, and in force. I was now in the midst of everything I have seen online, all those immaculate details, and it was just awesome.

Paganis have been my favorite cars (again, above all others) since I visited their factory in 2004. It was absolutely a life changing experience for me, seeing those Zondas up close, and the people who create them. What struck me most was how so much of the Pagani Zonda’s beauty could only be taken in while looking at it in person. There were so many subtile curves, so many minute details that just made the Zonda so much more special up close than in any picture of it I had ever seen.

The same is absolutely true of the Pagani Huayra. In fact, this was not only the first Huayra I had ever seen in person, it was also the first Pagani, of any sort, that I had laid eyes on since visiting the factory almost a decade ago. What got me the most about the Huayra was how it was such a full object. What I mean by that is its attention to detail encompasses every aspect of the car, both large and small. It is like an ultra high resolution image, one where countless tiny pixels come together to make an image that is so clear, it almost looks more realistic than reality itself. There is a richness to the Pagani Huayra as an object that I don’t see in any of the other seven-figure hypercars. You get a sense, in the case of this particular US-Spec car, that you are getting your $1.9 Million’s worth.

Another thing I really love about Pagani as a company, is that they seem to have a high level of personal values and integrity. All of the employees were very friendly and laid back, not conceited and snobby like we found at McLaren the next day. Pagani seems to have an appreciation for exactly what it is that they are doing. They know their cars appeal to people on a deep emotional level, whether they have the money to spend or not. This is why Pagani’s personnel were freely letting people sit in the Huayra, and, of course, have pictures taken in it (see the bottom for mine). They know it is but a small thing they can do to let people taste their dreams, and inspire hearts and minds in the process. If you ask me, that is exactly how a supercar company should conduct themselves: let people taste the dream, and when they do find the money to spend, it will be your car they spend it on.

As for the Pagani Huayra itself, we had spotted it driving out in Monterey the day before, and had gotten some dark photos of it there. I was excited to do a proper shoot of it, though, and I got my opportunity at The Quail.

What can I say? This is an incredible car, both a marvel of engineering as well, as an artistic masterpiece. No matter how you look at the Pagani Huayra, it is special. From every nut and bolt being engraved with the Pagani logo, to the sweeping shape of the car as a whole. The carbon fiber craftsmanship is what really does it for me, though. The weave lines up at each panel gap all over the car…. just try and fathom the amount of work that takes.

Other immaculate details include the mirrors which were, and I quote, “designed to look like the eyes of a beautiful woman.” I’m sorry, but you just don’t get that level of flavor from a Bugatti, I don’t care what “special edition” Veyron you have. Additionally, most cars, even among supercars, have a simple key, but not the Huayra. No, Pagani decided to make the Huayra’s key a miniature sculpture of the car, and I was given the privilege of holding said key for a photo (below).

I will be totally honest here. One of the founding goals of this site, for me, was to one day get it to a level where I would be able to drive a Pagani for a review. It is one of those aspirations in life that keeps me going, and when I was sitting in this Huayra, I could literally taste it. When the day finally comes, I will make whatever arrangements I need to make to get wherever in the world I need to go. Even if Emma Watson was like “let me get these panties off,” if I got the call right at that moment, I’d…. well, I’d do my thing with her first, but then I’d be on the very next flight out!

The point here is that driving a Huayra, or any Pagani for that matter, is one of the major dreams I am working toward fulfilling. It drives me at my core to keep working, and building things up. Passion is contagious, and the passion that Horacio Pagani has put into his cars has inspired myself, as well as countless other car enthusiasts around the world. If that isn’t a positive effect, then I don’t know what is.

Enjoy the photos of this magnificent machine!

-Nick Walker