CARMEL >> As a young man, Horacio Pagani worked for Lamborghini. He progressed from sweeping floors to chief engineer. But Pagani grew weary. His career wasn’t advancing as quickly as the luxury machines created by the renowned Italian automaker.

An Argentinian native who moved to Italy as a teenager to work in the automotive industry, Pagani decided to make his own cars. The namesake handmade marvels of exotic design and scarce supply are revered by the public and other hallowed manufacturers.

Six years after the company was founded near Modena, Italy, the first Pagani was unveiled in 1998. The company brought its vehicles to the United States in 2011. Still run by its founder and his two sons, Pagani has made about 400 of its supercars in 26 years.

As it has for many years, Pagani displayed several models on its traditional centrally located back perch Friday at The Quail, A Motorsports Gathering held at the Hyatt Regency.

“All the components are built in-house,” said Christopher Pagani, who with his older brother Leonardo joined their father at one the premier events of Classic Car Week. “It’s a hand-crafted car; you’re not going to find robots making your car. It’s like going back to the Renaissance.”

Pagani has made three models, the Zonda, Huayra and the recently debuted Utopia. Various trims and sub-trims are featured in each offering.

Starting with a yearly offering of a few cars, Pagani now makes between 50 and 60 vehicles per year. The estimated manufacture of about one car per week is the responsibility of 200 people. Horacio Pagani signs every new vehicle.

The elder Pagani named one of his sons after Leonardo da Vinci, the Italian painter, theorist and architect. Pagani admired the polymath, particularly his study of air. The design of Pagani is an homage to Da Vinci’s studies.

Like other niche rare carmakers, new Paganis are primarily sold in advance, often to previous Pagani buyers. The automaker has six dealerships in the United States, including in San Rafael and Beverly Hills.

The latter location is a stand-alone dealership, the others are collaborative because of the manufacturer’s low volume. In those locations, Pagani is joined most often by Ferrari, Lamborghini and Bugatti.

The Utopia, which debuted in July, will be limited to a 130-vehicle run. It features a V12 engine with 864 horsepower and a 7-speed pure or automated manual transmission. It has a top speed of 217 miles per hour.

With its starting price of $3.4 million, the Utopia also features what Pagani calls its “Cyber Tyre.” Each Pirelli-made tire is fitted with sensors that provide information to the car’s stability control systems.

The car’s chassis is a mixture of titanium and carbon fiber and has a clamshell configuration with doors that swing upward.

The Utopia has a sculpted shape and doesn’t have wings or spoilers. The alloy wheels are 21 inches in the front, 22 inches in the back.

Its design also features a Pagani signature, side mirrors that protrude from different locations, depending on the model and trim. The carmaker uses four designs, all giving the appearance of thin floating appendages or the wings of a bird in flight. The mirrored frames have been described as teardrops or shaped like a beautiful woman’s eyes.

Despite its robust appearance, the Utopia weighs only 2,882 pounds. It’s about 450 pounds heavier than a Mazda MX-5 Miata.

Like other exotic cars, Pagani has its share of admirers.

“When you see a Pagani, you can appreciate it in motion but you appreciate standing still,” said Coleman Thurman of San Francisco who attended The Quail with friend E.J. DeMille. “You never get bored looking at it.”

DeMille added: “The curvature of the vehicle basically resembles what we are predestined to like in our DNA.”

With its small-batch availability, Pagani remained Italy-centric for several years. It first tested expansion in Great Britain, France and Monaco before entering the U.S. and further gaining its global prestige.

“Somehow, the car is a vision from a dream my father had since he was a young child, Christopher Pagani said. “To drive the cars that have our name gives us a sense of respect.”