In the automotive business, it’s quite common for companies to test their rivals’ products. However, it’s not often that you see a company’s CEO and founder get behind the wheel of the competition but that’s exactly what you see here.

This photo, sourced from Keno Zache Photography, shows none other than Pagani CEO and founder Horacio Pagani driving a McLaren P1. And we’re not talking about a run-of-the-mill P1 here, but a highly-personalized example worked over by the men and women at McLaren Special Operations. It’s also alleged that this P1 is the only example registered in Italy, where Pagani is based.

We can’t be sure if this is simply a day of fun for Pagani or if he’s out doing serious benchmarking work. However, we do know that Pagani the company is working on a more extreme version of its Huayra supercar.

The new Huayra variant is tipped to be called the Nürburgring Edition, most likely because it will be honed at the German track from which its name is derived. Since the P1, like the Huayra, is a lightweight and rear-wheel-drive supercar—that can also lap the ‘Ring in less than seven minutes—it makes sense that Pagani would be keen for a closer look.

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