Pagani Utopia Manual Transmission Take Rate Is At 75%

Ferrari and Lamborghini no longer offer any supercars with manual transmissions. But if the take rate mentioned by Pagani for its Utopia hypercar is any evidence, those long-standing Italian companies aren’t delivering what wealthy customers want.

It’s hard to believe the Pagani Utopia was revealed three years ago, packing an 852-horsepower twin-turbocharged V12 engine with an available six-speed gated manual transmission. A seven-speed Xtrac automatic is also available, but Pagani has seen very little demand for the auto-swapper.

Speaking to CarBuzz at the Goodwood Festival of Speed, Pagani confirmed that 75% of Utopia customers have opted for the gated manual gearbox. Pagani only plans to build 99 copies, meaning fewer than 25 will have the automatic. Clearly, buyers who are spending over $2.5 million on a car want something they can’t get elsewhere.

There Was So Much Demand From The Huayra

Pagani’s previous supercar, the Huayra, did not offer a manual transmission (except for a one-off Epitome model), a choice that many enthusiasts criticized at the time. We’ve driven a Huayra BC Roadster, and although the seven-speed single-clutch automatic was exciting, we imagine a manual Pagani would be even more engaging. Pagani sensed there was a pent-up demand for a manual, which is why the Utopia was developed with one in mind.

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“Already from the Huayra period, we were being asked a lot to bring back the manual from the Zonda. It was a very visceral experience, and we believed it was the right time to do it. But on the Huayra Coupe, there was no physical space for the clutch in the monocoque,” Sebastian Berridi, press relations and events at Pagani Automobili, explained. “So we delivered the Epitome. It was a blank sheet of paper. We have a bespoke monocoque and bespoke materials. [We wanted] to put the drivers back at the center of the project.”

Huayra Customers Want The Utopia

Whether it’s the manual transmission or other elements drawing them back, Pagani’s existing customers are clamoring to get a Utopia. In fact, the automaker needs to set aside a few, specifically to allow new people into the brand.

Pagani will even work with customers to plan their purchase up to 10 years in the future. For example, if a new client approached them wanting a manual transmission when the Huayra was still on sale, they might be told to wait for the next model.

“We work on a business and team plan that’s expanding on 10 years. If we have a new prospect – let’s say that we meet him – we can definitely direct him into a future model, and show him some renderings, explained Berridi. “We also try to make sure that the profile of the person fits the product. For someone who’s much more into racing and track cars, the Huayra R Evo is a more fitting car. If he’s more into an elegant car, more refined aesthetics, then of course we’ll direct them to something new, like the Codalunga or Utopia. We always try to sell the matching cars to the matching customer profile,” he added.

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Pagani Will Keep Selling The Zonda Without Building A New Zonda

They won’t technically be “new,” but you can still order one.

Pagani certainly has come a long way from the Zonda. That doesn’t mean the company has forgotten about the car that put it on the map, however. Pagani recently revealed it will happily rebuild any existing Zonda to a customer’s specification, ensuring the old cars will stay new for a very long time.