Skip to main content

German test driver crashes Pagani Huayra Roadster into a tree

Crashed Pagani Huayra Roadster in GermanyWhen automakers bring out prototype cars to test on public roads, they try as hard as possible to make sure those cars don’t get noticed. This test drive of a prototype Pagani Huayra Roadster did not go as planned.

The Aalen police headquarters in Baden-Württemberg, Germany, posted a photo on Twitter on Friday, June 22, showing the car in a rather compromised position. German newspaper Stuttgarter Nachrichten reported that a 37-year-old test driver crashed the car that morning. The driver apparently lost control of the car while accelerating, according to an English translation of the police tweet and newspaper report (via Jalopnik).

Recommended Videos

“When driving off the accelerator of the sports car was apparently so strong that the driver lost control and drove down a slope by car, where he crashed into a tree,” according to the translated newspaper report.

The crashed car wore the black-and-white camouflage typically used in the auto industry to hide the shape of prototype vehicles. Pagani confirmed to Road & Track that the car was “an evolution of the Huayra Roadster.” The convertible Roadster packs a 6.0-liter twin-turbocharged V12 sourced from Mercedes-AMG, good for 754 horsepower and 738 pound-feet of torque (the crash occurred near AMG’s hometown of Affalterbach). The supercar’s sticker price is somewhere north of $2 million. Alternatively, you can lease one for $25,000 per month with a $700,000 down payment.

The Roadster is one of three main Huayra variants, alongside the coupe and the Huayra BC, a more hardcore model packing 789 hp. But Pagani is always developing special-edition and one-off versions of its supercars, and it’s likely the crashed Huayra Roadster was a prototype for one of those. Pagani produces so few cars and introduces so many special editions that most cars leaving its Italian factory are customized or upgraded to some extent. However, Pagani didn’t provide any details on the car to Road & Track.

The automaker only said the car was crashed by one of its “German partners,” and that “neither the driver, nor the passenger reported any damages, both were unharmed, since the central monocoque [chassis] has performed exceptionally as planned!”

That is one way to put a positive spin on things.

Stephen Edelstein
Stephen is a freelance automotive journalist covering all things cars. He likes anything with four wheels, from classic cars…
I tried an e-bike for the first time and now I’m hooked
It’s not about being a 'bike person', it’s about finding small upgrades to everyday life
A woman sitting on the Aventon Pace 4

Before this year, I’d never even touched an e-bike before, and the thought of riding one was never on my radar. With life already in constant motion thanks to two toddlers, biking wasn’t something I ever considered adding to the mix.

I’d always assumed e-bikes were for hardcore commuters or serious cyclists, not someone like me. I wasn’t looking for a big lifestyle change. I just wanted a quicker way to get to the park so we’d have more time to play before dinner.

Read more
This week in EV tech: Audi exemplifies auto industry’s EV holding pattern
Close-up of 2025 Audi SQ5 grille, headlight, and badge.

The road to the future runs through the present, and it’s not a straight line. This week, we’re focusing on how Audi is negotiating the twists and turns on the way to an electrified future. EVs are here to stay at Audi, but a gasoline crossover SUV is still the automaker’s bestselling model, and it’s not ready to risk those sales just yet. That’s why the 2025 Audi Q5 received a top-to-bottom overhaul for this model year, bringing its tech features and styling up to date without altering the what has proven to be a very popular package. By maintaining parallel lineups of electric and internal-combustion cars, Audi hopes to give customers more choices. But that doesn’t completely level the playing field. The new Q5 may have yesterday’s powertrain, but Audi isn’t holding back on tech. It features the same electrical architecture, operating system, and three-screen dashboard display as the latest Audi EVs, like the Q6 e-tron. So aside from a little engine noise, there’s little difference in what you can see and interact with from the driver’s seat. It’s not just the infotainment systems. The Q5 and Q6 e-tron are close in size, with similar space for passengers across their two rows of seats. The Q6 e-tron has a bit more cargo space, but not as much as you’d think given the lack of a bulky engine, transmission, and driveshafts. The two SUVs also have similar styling but, having now driven both, we can say that the Q5 is the more pleasant of the two.

More than a difference of powertrain tech

Read more
Take a peek inside the factory making tomorrow’s ride
A Zoox robotaxi.

Amazon-owned Zoox has opened its first facility producing fully autonomous robotaxis. 

A video (above) released by the California-based company offers a peek inside the factory, which, when it reaches full capacity, could roll out as many as 10,000 autonomous vehicles per year.

Read more