Pagani

Horacio Pagani has had a surprising life. His passion for cars, speed and design emerged very early and, at the age of 12, he amazed everyone with models of supercars carved from wood or modelled in clay.

He made his debut into the world of racing cars when he was 20, designing an F.3 that competed in Argentina under the colours of the official Renault team. Then came an enormous number of industrial design projects in which he had an accelerated apprenticeship, combining a mixture of creativity and a maniacal search for perfection.

He met Juan Manuel Fangio, his childhood hero, who became the right person to introduce him to Modena, the home of legends like Ferrari and Lamborghini. And the miracle took place at Lamborghini.

It was engineer Alfieri who provided the young Horacio with the space to express his imagination and manual dexterity.

He started off as a third level mechanic in the bodywork department but was rapidly promoted to manager of the new composite material department. He took part in all the important projects of those years: the LMA Jeep, the restyling of the Jalpa, the design of the Countach Evoluzione (the first car in the world with a one hundred per cent carbon chassis), the Golf Caddy and the 4 valve Countach.

In 1988, he set up Pagani Composite Research which carried out various projects, including the restyling of the Countach Anniversary, for which the company also supplied the final details in composite materials.

At the height of this collaboration, Pagani worked with the team that designed the Diablo, the Lamborghini P140, the L30 and the Diablo Anniversary.

The difficult economic climate created in 1992 by the events linked to the Gulf War did not discourage Pagani from producing his own supercar.

Modena Design

Modena Design was set up in 1991 to meet the growing demand for the services of design, engineering, model construction, moulds and prototypes.

Horacio Pagani has transmitted to his group his own passion and rigorous working methods, achieving a difficult compromise between art and technology.

The patient manual skills of the Renaissance artist combined with F1 technology makes Modena Design a cutting edge company in the design and construction of products in the composite materials field.

It is the ideal partner for companies that operate in the commercial, sports and competition sector where the demand for innovative solutions is constantly growing.

The experience it has acquired backed up by incessant research have enabled Modena Design to collaborate with great companies like Dallara, Ferrari, Aprilia, Berman, Lange and Renault.

The Fangio F.1

Horacio Pagani’s fondest dream – to build his own supercar – started to turn into reality in 1988 – when the draft drawings of the “C8 Project” were shown for the first time to Fangio. The car was to be named Fangio F1 after Fangio as a tribute to the great champion and showed the respect that Pagani felt for him.

In 1992, Pagani began to construct a prototype and the first model was tested in the Dallara wind tunnel in 1993. The positive results obtained marked the beginning of a long period of design and definition of the construction details.

At this point Fangio introduced Pagani to Mercedes, the company to which he was linked by his series of historic Formula 1 victories. Mercedes could foresee that the project was worthwhile and, in 1994, officially agreed to supply its powerful V12 engine.

After four more years of hard work, Pagani obtained type approval of the coupé open version of the C8 Project and the first Zonda C12 was presented in the 1999 Geneva Motor Show. Juan Manuel Fangio is no longer with us and Pagani has changed the name of his car to Zonda, the name of the wind that blows in the Andes, out of modesty and respect for the great man. The car draws its inspiration from the Mercedes Group C Silver Arrows

From its very first appearance it was made quite clear that it was not just an adventure, one of the numerous prototypes destined to remain as concept cars, but “…a dream that has been transformed into a glittering reality”.

A Pagani Zonda is never shy of a drive at the racetrack, a fact that was undermined numerous times in the past with records for production vehicles at the Nurburgring Nordschleife. With the input of its avid track focused customers, the Pagani team has created the Zonda R using bespoke engineering solutions to meet the performance demands for a trackday version of the highly popular Zonda F.

The central monocoque is made of a Carbon-Titanium composite, increasing rigidity while reducing significantly the weight. Bolted directly to the chassis is the Mercedes AMG 6.0 litre race derived V12 engine, with 750 hp and 710 Nm of torque. A direct throttle actuation via mechanical cable ensures immediate throttle response.

The Xtrac Magnesium cased dog ring gearbox combined with tha Automac Engineering AMT system performs gearshifts in 20ms, triggered by the drivers input on the paddles behind the steering wheel. A 12-way Bosch Motorsport traction control and ABS system allows the driver to fully adjust the settings while driving the Zonda R. At the pits, each driver will be able to find a suitable setup thanks to a fully adjustable suspension and wing configuration. The effectiveness of the rear is matched by a complex

new front bonnet, a masterpiece realised with the help of models by Ennegi, as well as the closed underbody and rear diffusor. Aerodynamic setups rage from a high downforce setting of 1.500kg to a 350kmh top speed setting.

Aspa forged AvionAl suspension components as well as machined structural ErgAl parts holding the engine and gearbox have been designed to reduce the weight of the overall car, Poggipolini Titanium screws are used on the whole car. These measures lead to a dry weight of 1.070 kg.

The interior has been designed to offer a perfect environment for the driver. The controls are limited to the indispensable, but the quality finish reflects the usual demanding Pagani standards. The bespoke Toora seats are FIA homologated and comply to latest HANS standards, five-point safety belts and a CrMo roll-cage assure the occupants’ safety. The lucky owners of the Zonda R will experience a level of performance on the track, that is simply not possible on the road. A power-to-weight ratio of 701 hp-per-ton will catapult them from 0 to 60 mph in less than 2,7 seconds, the Brembo carbon ceramic

brakes ensure the car comes to a standstill even quicker. The Zonda R is built in a limited production run and sold at a price of 1.460.000 Euro plus taxes, a performance machine, a track toy, a collectors item, a masterpiece signed

by Horacio Pagani.

Zonda R

Technical Data

Engine: Mercedes-Benz AMG - M120 - 12 cylinder V 60°, 48 valves;displacement 5987 ccm, dry sump.

Max. Power: (kW) hp/rpm: (551) 750 / 7.500.

Max. Torque: Nm/rpm: 710/5.700.

Stroke: 80,20 mm.

Bore: 89,00 mm.

Traction control: 12 Stage - Bosch Motorsport traction control system.

Intake: Single throttle bodies, mechanically operated.

Exhaust system: Hydroformed Inconel, ceramic coated.

Transmission: Longitudinal mid engine; rear wheel drive

with self-locking differential.

Gearbox: XTRAC 672 bespoke magnesium casing gearbox,

6 speed sequential dog gearchange with Automac

Engineering AMT system.

Carbon-ceramic brakes: 4 ventilated Brembo disks, hydraulic power brake.

12 Stage - Bosch Motorsport Race ABS.

Dischi: Front 380x34 mm 6 piston caliper;

Rear 380x34 mm 4 piston caliper.

Wheels: Forged alloy APP wheels; 19” front, 20” rear.

Tyres: Pirelli P Zero Zonda R: ant. 255/35/19; post. 335/30/20.

Suspensions: 4 independent wheels with double A-arm;

Forged Avional suspension arms; pull rod helical springs and Öhlins adjustable shock absorbers.

Structure: Central carbon-Titanium chassis, Engine is a stressed member;

front and rear Cr Mo space frames; bodywork carbon fiber MD System.

Dimensions: Length 4886 mm; Width 2014 mm;

height 1141 mm; Wheelbase 2785 mm;

Dry weight 1070 kg.

Safety: Roll cage in Cr Mo steel; carbon fibre seats HANS compatible;

five point harness.

Performance: 0-100 km/h in 2,7 sec.; Top speed: > 350 km/h.

Weight-to-Power ratio: 1,43 kg/hp.