If you have ever found yourself questioning the multi-million-dollar price tags of limited-edition hypercars, you must watch this YouTube video (in Spanish) by Gerard Farré from Vlogs de Coches. In the video, the Spanish journalist talks about the bolts used on the Pagani Utopia Roadster. Not only are they made of grade 7 titanium, but each bolt features the brand’s logo and is engraved with the chassis number of the car in which it is mounted.
Horacio Pagani, the founder and creative force behind Pagani Automobili, is renowned for his extraordinary attention to detail, which defines both his cars and his approach to design. His dedication to detail extends to areas that aren’t immediately visible, which is clearly highlighted by the titanium screws.
The average price of the titanium bolts used on the Utopia Roadster is estimated to be around 80 euros (about $86). Considering the open-top hypercar needs around 1000 of them, the automaker spends around $86,000 just on these special bolts.
This is absolutely crazy since 1000 traditional bolts made of stainless steel cost a few hundred dollars. But this is nothing new for Pagani. The Pagani Huayra has around 1400 of these titanium bolts, which adds up to $120,000 (or 3.6% of the hypercar’s sticker price).
But there’s a good reason why Pagani chooses to use super-expensive titanium bolts instead of traditional ones. Titanium is much lighter than stainless steel, which helps the automaker to make its hypercars as light as possible. Additionally, the titanium bolts are much stronger, which is needed to withstand the 863hp delivered by its 6.0-liter twin-turbo V12 engine.
For the same reasons, titanium bolts are also used on the state-of-the-art Lockheed Martin F-35 stealth fighters. In fact, the 5th-generation fighter jet requires around 48,000 of these lightweight fasteners. However, they cost around $5 apiece since they are not meant to add to the beauty and exclusivity of the jet. Yet, they are one of the reasons that make the F-35 one of the most expensive fighter jets in the world; after all, $240,000 worth of titanium fasteners are used on the jet. The unit price of an F-35 fighter jet depends on the variant and ranges from about $80 million to $100 million. Furthermore, the F-35 fighter jet program is expected to cost taxpayers more than $2 trillion over its lifetime, making it one of the most expensive weapons programs in US history.
Pagani Utopia Roadster – an automotive masterpiece
The Pagani Utopia Roadster is the latest open-top hypercar from Pagani Automobili, representing the pinnacle of Pagani’s craftsmanship, attention to detail, and high-performance engineering. Revealed earlier this year in July, it’s the roadster version of the Pagani Utopia. Despite the additional weight of the folding roof mechanism, the Utopia Roadster tips the scale at 2,822 pounds without fluids, which is exactly the same as the coupe counterpart.
The Roadster is powered by the same Mercedes-AMG-sourced twin-turbocharged 6.0-liter V12 engine found in the coupe. It is capable of churning out 852 horsepower and 811 pound-feet of torque. The power is sent to the rear wheels via an electro-mechanical differential in the rear axle. The top speed is electronically limited to 217mph. The hypercar is limited to just 130 examples, each with a starting price of $3.6 million.
