A few years ago, I think I heard one of the Top Gear presenters describe the costs associated with owning a McLaren F1 as “telephone numbers.” I can certainly believe that, considering it’s a hypercar that’s now two decades old. Pagani of Dallas brought the Italian manufacturer’s Huayra, a super-exotic with some mind-boggling figures of its own, to the Houston Auto Show last week. However, some of the digits the dealership’s managing partner, Kurt Fegraeus, shared with me and my colleagues in the Texas Auto Writers Association are shockingly low. I’ve put a few of them below.
730 – The amount of horsepower generated by this sophomore Pagani creation’s 6-liter twin-turbo AMG V12.
6 to 8 – The number of months it typically takes a Huayra to go from the order stage to the delivery stage. Pickier customers have to mark their calendars with that second number in mind.
1.93 million – The number of dollars a customer spent buying the Huayra you see here.
< 3 - The amount of seconds it takes the Huayra to hit 60 mph from a dead stop.
“At least 230” – The Huayra’s top speed in miles per hour.
7,000+ – The rpm redline Fegraeus saw on the tach after a quick glance.
30s – 60s – The average age range of Fegraeus’ Pagani customers.
One number I didn’t hear was the amount of other cars a Huayra buyer usually owns, but Fegraeus did tell me they typically have them all. As he said, “Name it.” In the last 12 months, one of his clients purchased a Huayra…and a LaFerrari…and a 918 Spyder…and an Aston Martin, among others. Speaking of telephone numbers, I need to contact that guy so I can ask for a visitor’s pass to his garage.
Derek Shiekhi's father raised him on cars. As a boy, Derek accompanied his dad as he bought classics such as post-WWII GM trucks and early Ford Mustang convertibles.
After loving cars for years and getting a bachelor's degree in Business Management, Derek decided to get an associate degree in journalism. His networking put him in contact with the editor of the Austin-American Statesman newspaper, who hired him to write freelance about automotive culture and events in Austin, Texas in 2013. One particular story led to him getting a certificate for learning the foundations of road racing.
While watching TV with his parents one fateful evening, he saw a commercial that changed his life. In it, Jeep touted the Wrangler as the Texas Auto Writers Association's "SUV of Texas." Derek knew he had to join the organization if he was going to advance as an automotive writer. He joined the Texas Auto Writers Association (TAWA) in 2014 and was fortunate to meet several nice people who connected him to the representatives of several automakers and the people who could give him access to press vehicles (the first one he ever got the keys to was a Lexus LX 570). He's now a regular at TAWA's two main events: the Texas Auto Roundup in the spring and the Texas Truck Rodeo in the fall.
Over the past several years, Derek has learned how to drive off-road in various four-wheel-drive SUVs (he even camped out for two nights in a Land Rover), and driven around various tracks in hot hatches, muscle cars, and exotics. Several of his pieces, including his article about the 2015 Ford F-150 being crowned TAWA's 2014 "Truck of Texas" and his review of the Alfa Romeo 4C Spider, have won awards in TAWA's annual Excellence in Craft Competition. Last year, his JK Forum profile of Wagonmaster, a business that restores Jeep Wagoneers, won prizes in TAWA’s signature writing contest and its pickup- and SUV-focused Texas Truck Invitational.
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