Pagani Huayra accused of cheating on Top Gear lap drive

A number of people present on the Top Gear track when the Pagani Huayra set the lap record claim said that the car used racing tires, which violates Top Gear's power lap track rules. Season 19 of Top Gear began with the Pagani Huayra setting a new track record with a time of 1:13.8, breaking the one set by the Ariel Atom V8, which is 1:15.1.

According to those present when Stig set the lap record, Pagani cheated by fitting the Huayra with racing tires that bear hand-cut grooves, making them look road-legal. Pagani responded by saying that Huayra was fitted with P Zero Trofeo tires, which are designed specifically for track use but are road legal, concluding that they did not cheat on Top Gear.

Members at TeamSpeed.com forum site analyzed photos taken during the event, then pointed out that sizing and tread pattern of the tires fitted on the Huayra for Top Gear were different from those that Pagani stated.

TeamSpeed members argue that the tires used have the same tread attributes found on Pirelli racing tires fitted on the Pagani Zonda R race car. The situation became worse after Pagani said in a press release after the show that Huayra used P Zero Corsa tires. This makes it appear that the company either meant to mislead or that it committed several mistakes

The core of the new Pagani Huayra is served by the 6.0-liter 60-degree 12-cylinder turbocharged engine from Mercedes-AMG, as engineered to suit the power and technical requirement of the new supercar. This powerplant is tuned to deliver up to 700 hp of max output and 1,000 Nm of peak torque – more than enough to make other drivers break in sweat when racing against the Pagani Huayra. The turbochargers for this engine is engineered to deliver instant response to the slightest throttle input, which means the driver has complete control over the engine at any rpm. This also means that any unwanted delays in power delivery are eliminated.

In addition, the systems of the powerplants were all designed and tested to endure high temperatures and extreme performance. This was proven by the fact that the Pagani Huayra managed to survive the highs of Death Valley and the lows of the Arctic Circle.

To ensure the optimal cooling efficiency of the intercoolers over the cylinder heads, two lateral radiators are positioned in the front. Meanwhile, the engine constantly receives the required oil even when the Huayra is undergoing extreme lateral accelerations, thanks to dry sump lubrication that also helps regulates the oil flow so that only the necessary amount of lubricant is actually pumped into the engine from the external oil tank, reducing the friction caused by an excessive volume of lubricant inside the engine sump.

An oil/water heat exchanger reduces warm-up times by heating the engine lubricant during cold start and keeping engine coolant and lubricant levels at steady operational temperatures. Extensive weight saving programs led to ingenious yet simple solutions. The intercooler covers serve as expansion tanks to the low temperature circuit and the engine coolant circuit. The vertical fins contribute to the cooling of the tanks.