The West Coast’s Sonoma County is a Northern California destination renowned for its legendary wine vineyards. Sitting north of San Francisco, nestled between the Pacific Ocean and the world-famous Napa Valley, Sonoma draws travelers from near and far, and what better way to get there than by supercar? Undoubtedly, the drivers of the 35 exotics that converged this month at the Supercar Show in Sonoma on the grounds of the Hanson of Sonoma Distillery agreed.
Hanson of Sonoma Distillery
Presented by Beyond City Limits, the Hanson Distillery’s first-ever supercar meet boasted several Lamborghini models, including the Aventador, the Aventador Ultimae, the Urus SUV, and the Huracan. McLaren models were made up of 570s, 720s, and 600LT. Other exotics came in the form of the Aston Martin Vanquish and Vantage, Ferrari's, Audi R8s, a trio of Nissan GTRs, a pair of Mercedes AMGs, a Bentley Continental, a Porsche 718, and the ultimate showstopper – a Pagani Huayra Roadster.
The day began with the exotics gathering at the Sonoma Raceway, famous as one of the few road courses to host the NASCAR Cup Series each year. For race enthusiasts, Sonoma’s hill-laden course features a dozen turns with 160 feet of elevation change. The Raceway welcomed the supercar drivers at the track and offered private parade laps for the show vehicles.
The distillery served their small-batch, handcrafted organic vodka (made from famed Sonoma grapes) to the supercar fans that lined the streets in and out of the Distillery as the exotics made their way from the track back to Hanson’s for staging.
Photographers edged the entrance gates for shots of the line-up as the cars turned onto the distillery property. Spectators circled their favorites, chopped it up with the owners, posted photos, and streamed videos on social platforms to commemorate the experience. While each car was a work of art on its own, the pageantry of the entire collection was striking. Although many of these exotics are what dreams are made of, here are a handful of the event standouts.
2022 Bentley Continental GT Speed Coupe
The only Bentley to show out at the meet was a 2022 Continental GT Speed Coupe in the color Granite over Porpoise leather. This Continental housed a 6.0-Liter twin-turbocharged W12 with an 8-speed dual-clutch transmission, touting 650 horsepower and 664 pound-feet of torque. A top speed of 208 MPH puts the Speed Coupe from zero to 60 MPH in 3.5 seconds – worthy of a run at Sonoma Raceway.
This particular Bentley featured the Continental Blackline package announced last year as a new option.
Bentley’s media release explained the addition of the Blackline package for 2022 models of the Continental GT and Continental GT Convertible.
Buyers that chose to spec for their Bentley with this upgrade swapped their chrome for a more contemporary blackout look. As shown on this Bentley, specific Blackline details include the darker, sleeker alternative of most of the exterior bright ware sans the Winged B badging. The mirror caps were finished in Beluga black. The 22-Inch wheels were also black with a chrome ring on the Bentley self-leveling badge.
For those interested in adding one to their own collection, the MSRP on the 2022 Continental that Bentley refers to as the Pinnacle Performance Grand Tourer is $316,400.
2022 Lamborghini Huracan STO
A Lambo is always a neck-breaker, and of course, the Huracan is no different; however, the blazing blue exterior made this STO an extraordinary head-turner. The official color of this 2022 Lamborghini Huracan STO is Blue Cephus metallic. It was detailed with a two-tone interior that Lamborghini has named Nero Cosmus with Giallo Belenus.
Signature Lambo calipers color-matched to the interior peaked through the Huracan’s black, 20-Inch Forged Hek wheels. A naturally-aspirated, 5.2-Liter V-10 powered this rear-wheel drive. Its 7-speed dual-clutch manual transmission is automated. The setup drove the output of this mid-engine exotic to 631 horsepower and 417 pound-feet of torque, allowing the STO to clock a top speed of 195 MPH and a zero to 60 MPH time in a searing 2.6 seconds. If a 2022 Huracan STO is on your wish list, the MSRP on a base model is $333,633.
2017 Audi R8 Quattro Spyder
Blue was the attention-getter again when this 2017 Audi R8 Quattro Spyder rolled in. Audi refers to this exterior finish as Ara Blue, the same blue hue that weaves its way into the cabin on the optional diamond stitching in the R8’s black leather interior.
The all-wheel drive Spyder is run by a 5.2-Liter V10 paired to a 7-speed automated manual transmission, creating 540 horsepower and 398 pound-feet of torque. It has a top speed of 198 MPH, and its zero to 60 MPH pushes 3.2 seconds. In 2017, a new base model Audi R8 Quattro Spyder cost $177,650. Its value has held well, as current pricing for a 2017 Audi R8 can run upwards of $175,000
2017 Pagani Huayra Roadster
As stated, the star of the show was a red carbon fiber 2017 Pagani Huayra Roadster. After debuting in 2017 at the Geneva Motor Show, only 100 models were produced. However, the $2.4 million price tag didn’t deter buyers from purchasing all 100 vehicles before its unveiling in Geneva.
The heart of the Huayra is a 6.0-liter, twin-turbo V-12 that develops 747 horsepower and 737 pound-feet of torque, built explicitly by Mercedes-AMG for the Pagani brand. The rear-wheel drive two-seater is paired with a semi-automatic seven-speed gearbox.
At just under 3,000 pounds, this Pagani is capable of a 2.8-second 0-60 MPH time and a blistering top speed that can surpass 230 MPH. The owner of this model confirmed its track performance and described logging 177 MPH at Indy the week prior.
Even for a supercar, the list of amazing features and superior craftsmanship that goes into a Pagani build is at another level.
From the mini Huayra key fob to the signature etching of the Pagani-badged titanium bolts, there is no detail overlooked in the production of the vehicle. It is a sight to behold, and every supercar fan should attempt to see one in person. The mid-engine marvel’s exquisite exterior design, complete with gullwing doors and stalk-mounted wing mirrors, is only matched by its hand-crafted interior.
The inspiration to combine art and science may have come from Da Vinci; however, Horacio Pagani – CEO and founder of Pagani Automobili – has advanced that theory into modern-day automotive form and function. He left no expense spared in his Pagani designs and performance technology, as evidenced by the aforementioned grade-7 titanium signature-engraved bolts.
The price of each Pagani-etched bolt is $80. The Huayra set includes 1,400 bolts, pushing the total cost of the bolts alone above the sticker price of a Porsche 911, and that is only the tip of a Pagani budget. If you believe you get what you pay for, you know why this one rocketed to the top of the list at the 2022 Sonoma Supercar meet. Can’t wait to see what the next one brings.