Pagani joins Ferrari in celebrating manual transmission with V12 roadster

Pagani, the Modena-based hypercar manufacturer, has unveiled the Huayra 70 Derecho, a V12 roadster equipped with a gated manual transmission, according to Motor1. The car is the second of three special editions created to mark the 70th birthday of Horacio Pagani, the company's founder and chief designer. The Derecho combines the twin-turbocharged AMG V12 engine—the same unit powering the standard Huayra—with an open-air configuration and a traditional three-pedal gearbox.

The release places Pagani alongside Ferrari in a deliberate countercurrent to industry standardisation on dual-clutch and continuously variable transmissions. Motor1 reported that Ferrari launched its 12Cilindri Manuale earlier this year as a limited-production celebration of the manual gearbox, signalling that both manufacturers view driver engagement and mechanical directness as differentiation points in an era of electrification and automated shifting.

The manual transmission has become a rarity in high-performance automotive segments. Motor1 noted in a separate analysis this month that fewer than 30 vehicles are available with factory manual gearboxes in the American market, with manufacturers increasingly reserving the option for limited-run models or bespoke commissions. For Emilia-Romagna's supercar builders, the manual remains a symbolic and practical anchor to engineering heritage.

Pagani's choice of the Derecho name—Spanish for "straight" or "direct"—underscores the company's messaging: a car unmediated by electronic intervention, relying on the driver's physical connection to the engine and transmission. The roadster format, with its open cockpit and absence of a fixed roof, amplifies that philosophy, exposing occupants to engine noise and mechanical feedback that automated systems typically dampen or eliminate.

The three-car anniversary series suggests Pagani intends to signal continuity with its founding principles even as the automotive industry accelerates toward electrification. Audi, which acquired a controlling stake in Pagani in 2023, has committed to electric platforms across its portfolio, yet the Modena operation continues to develop and celebrate combustion-engine variants. The Huayra 70 Derecho represents a final flourish for a generation of V12 production.

Motor Valley's hypercar sector—anchored by Ferrari, Lamborghini, Pagani, and Ducati—has long marketed mechanical precision and driver engagement as core identity. As regulatory and market pressures narrow the window for new internal-combustion models, both Pagani and Ferrari are using limited-production manual variants to crystallise that heritage and command premium positioning among collectors and enthusiasts seeking the last generation of driver-operated supercars.