Pagani Utopia Covered In Smoke At Monterey Car Week But It Didn't Catch Fire

Monterey Car Week took an unexpected turn when the North American debut of the Pagani Utopia supercar was shrouded in smoke. The incident sent shockwaves through the crowd, with initial fears that the stunning supercar had succumbed to flames. However, a quirky mishap revealed a much less dire scenario, as a misstep in button-pressing activated the car's fire extinguisher system, enveloping the exquisite Utopia in smoke. 

A video shared on Instagram by @OnFireGarage showed the Utopia covered in a cloud of smoke, sparking immediate speculation of a fire. Witness Chris Gorces said the accident occurred at the Pagani display at The Quail, a Motorsports Gathering at 11:20 AM on Friday, also adding that the smoke was “coming from the engine but pretty close to the firewall, very close to the back of the seat.”

However, Christopher Pagani, the son of the company’s founder and CEO Horacio Pagani, dispelled these concerns, clarifying the unusual turn of events. In an interview with Road and Track, Christopher Pagani explained that “a guest of the event was touching switches on the inside of the car and set off the engine’s self-contained fire extinguishers.”

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Pagani's participation in the Monterey Car Week was not merely a showcase of its automotive creations but a continuation of the brand's 25th-anniversary celebrations. The central part was the North American debut of the Utopia at the Quail, A Motorsports Gathering. Limited to just 99 units, the first series of the Utopia coupé had already garnered the attention of enthusiasts, quickly selling out.

Accompanying the Utopia were two other iconic Pagani models – the Zonda and the Huayra – marking the three milestones that chronicle the brand's journey from the inception of project C8 (Zonda) in 1998, to project C9 (Huayra) in 2011, and culminating with last year's unveiling of project C10 (Utopia). The exhibition also featured two distinguished examples – the Zonda R and the Huayra R – showcasing the peak of Pagani’s engineering.