The Pagani Zonda is a mid-engine sports car produced by the Italian sports car manufacturer Pagani. It debuted at the 1999 Geneva Motor Show. By 2018, a total of 140 cars had been built, including development mules. Both 2-door coupé and roadster variants have been produced along with a third new variant being the barchetta. Construction is mainly of carbon fibre.
The Zonda was originally to be named the "Fangio F1" after Formula One champion Juan Manuel Fangio, but, following his death in 1995, it was renamed for the Zonda wind, a regional term for a hot air current above Argentina.
The Zonda C12 debuted in 1999 at the Geneva Motor Show. It is powered by a 6.0 L (366 cu in) Mercedes-Benz M120 V12 engine having a power output of 450 PS (331 kW; 444 hp) at 5,200 rpm and 640 N⋅m (472 lb⋅ft) of torque at 4,200 rpm mated to a 5-speed manual transmission.
The C12 can accelerate to 97 km/h (60 mph) in 4.0 seconds and to 161 km/h (100 mph) in 9.2 seconds.
Only five cars were built with the 6.0 L
engine, though the C12 was still available in 2002 when the C12 S was introduced. One was used for crash testing and homologation, while another was a demonstrator and show car. The remainder were delivered to customers during the next three years. The crash test and homologation car having chassis number 001 was restored by Pagani's recently established restoration program called "Pagani Rinascimento" and was presented to the public at the 2019 Geneva Motor Show for the Zonda's 20th anniversary.
The Zonda S uses a modified version of the V12 engine used in the C12 enlarged to 7.0 L (427 cu in). Tuned by Mercedes-AMG, the engine has a power output of 550 PS (405 kW; 542 hp) and is mated to a newly developed 6-speed manual transmission in order to handle the high power output produced by the engine.
The C12 S can accelerate to 100 km/h (62 mph) in 3.7 seconds, to 161 km/h (100 mph) in 7.0 seconds. Lateral acceleration on the skidpad is 1.18 g (11.6 m/s²). The C12 S can can attain a top speed of 208 mph (335 km/h).
Introduced in 2002 the Zonda S 7.3 used a new, larger naturally aspirated V12 engine displacing 7,291 cc (7.3 L; 444.9 cu in) designed and manufactured by Mercedes-Benz AMG having a power output of 555 PS (547 hp; 408 kW) at 5,900 rpm and 750 N⋅m (553 lb⋅ft) of torque at 4,050 rpm. To better handle the power, traction control and ABS were made standard. Performance claims were unchanged from the Zonda C12 S.
In 2003, Pagani presented the Zonda Roadster, a roadster version of the Zonda S 7.3. Carrying the same components as the coupé, Pagani promised no loss of performance, a claim supported by the minimal weight gain of 30 kg (66 lb). A total of 40 roadsters were produced.
The Zonda F (or Zonda Fangio - named after Formula One driver Juan Manuel Fangio) debuted at the 2005 Geneva Motor Show. It was the most extensive re-engineered variant of the Zonda yet, though it shared much with its predecessors including the 7.3 L AMG V12 engine which through enhanced intake manifolds, exhaust and a revised ECU now had a power output of 602 PS (443 kW; 594 hp) at 6,150 rpm and 760 N⋅m (561 lb⋅ft) at 4,000 rpm. The transmission is largely the same as the C12 S but had stronger internals and differential gears.
Production of the Zonda F was limited to 25 cars. It came equipped with an extra headlight and different fog lights at the sides, new bodywork (revised front end, new rear spoiler, more aerodynamic vents all around) that improved the car's aerodynamics, and different side mirrors. Further enhancements over the "S" centered on optional carbon/ceramic brakes (measuring 380 mm) developed in conjunction with Brembo, OZ alloy wheels, Inconel exhaust system, hydroformed aluminium intake plenum, and a redesigned "Z preg" weave in the crash structure to improve rigidity and reduce weight.
The Zonda Roadster F debuted at the 2006 Geneva Motor Show. Exterior wise, the roadster was similar to the coupé, but with a removable carbon fibre roof and canvas side curtains, weighing just 5 kg (11 lb) more than the coupé. Power output of the engine increased to 650 PS (478 kW; 641 hp) and 780 N⋅m (575 lb⋅ft) of torque. Production of the Roadster F was limited to 25 units.
The Roadster F maintained chassis rigidity without any gain in curb weight, eschewing conventional thinking by not strengthening the sills, a process which would have needed more than 35 kg (77 lb) of reinforcement. Pagani instead used racing car materials, and construction techniques, strengthening the firewall structure of the chassis tub together with billet alloy braces that connected the points where the roof rails would have joined. The windscreen was also strengthened for safety reasons. These techniques enabled the Roadster to have virtually the same weight as the coupé, 1,230 kg (2,712 lb).
The Zonda Roadster F Clubsport is a light weight version of the Zonda Roadster F. It has an extensive use of the new carbo-titanium material developed Pagani as well as having an upgraded engine. It was tested by Top Gear's The Stig along with James May and achieved a lap time around their test track of 1:17.8, beating the Bugatti Veyron 16.4 tested during the same episode, but lost in a quarter mile drag race against the Veyron by nearly 2.5 seconds. German racing driver Marc Basseng managed to lap the Zonda F Clubsport around the 20.8 kilometres (12.9 mi) Nürburgring Nordschleife in 7:24.7.
The Zonda Cinque (Italian for five) was meant to be the last iteration of the Zonda, being a road-legal version of the Zonda R. Only five were built, hence the name, with deliveries set to June 2009 for all five cars. The Zonda Cinque was developed at the request of a Pagani dealer in Hong Kong.
The differences from other variants of the Zonda were the new 6-speed sequential gearbox, resulting in shifts taking less than 100 milliseconds, dropping the 0–100 km/h (62 mph) acceleration time down to 3.4 seconds. The gearbox has three driving modes, namely Comfort, Sport and Race which optimises the gearbox for different driving conditions. The Cinque also had a revised form of carbon fibre called "carbo-titanium" which incorporated titanium in the weave to increase strength and rigidity. The suspension used magnesium and titanium components, and the 7.3-litre engine's power and torque were increased to 678 PS (499 kW; 669 hp) and 780 N⋅m (575 lb⋅ft). Revised bodywork, which included a longer front splitter, new sideskirts, rear diffuser, bumper canards, and a flatter underside as well as a roof-mounted air intake scoop, enabled the Cinque to generate 750 kg (1,653 lb) of down-force at 355 km/h (221 mph) and 1.45 G of cornering force.
The Zonda Cinque Roadster had the same specifications as the coupé from which it was derived. Only five units were built, like the coupé.
The Zonda Tricolore, was originally conceived as a one-off but there were actually three built. It was built as a tribute to the Frecce Tricolori, Italy's aerobatic team. It carried much of the body from the Zonda Cinque. The car was unpainted except for a clear blue lacquer, and red, white, and green stripes from the nose along the top of the car's surface. Unique to this car was a small wing placed behind the cockpit which reflected the tail wing of Frecce Tricolori's Aermacchi MB-339 PAN stunt plane. The three Tricolores were priced at £1.2 million. It was also 9.7 km/h (6 mph) faster than a standard Zonda at 354 km/h (220 mph).
The Zonda Revolucion was a special, "final version" of the Zonda that was released in 2013 only to special clients and family members, during “Vanishing Point 2013”, the international Pagani gathering. Mercedes-AMG developed the engine, a 6.0 L (366 cu in) V12 that produced 800 PS (588 kW; 789 hp) and 729 N⋅m (538 lb⋅ft) of torque, connected to an Xtrac 672 6-speed transversal and sequential gearbox that could change gears in 20 milliseconds. The whole car weighs less than a Mini Cooper, thanks to a carbotanium tub at its core, resulting in a 1,070 kg (2,359 lb) kerb weight. The Revolucion also features DRS (Drag Reduction System), and two different operating modes: one that's available with a minimum speed of 100 km/h (62 mph), and another that changes the rear wing, switching the maximum and minimum down-force settings. Pagani's chief test driver Davide Testi claimed that the Revolucion could be a full 15 seconds quicker than the Zonda R around the Nürburgring. Only five of these cars were built, and they were priced at €2.2 million before taxes.
The Zonda HP Barchetta was unveiled at the 2017 Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance as a present to the company's founder, Horacio Pagani for his 60th birthday as well as to commemorate the 18th anniversary of the Zonda. It has unique exterior design cues which makes it different from other Zondas produced with the most distinguishable features being the barchetta body style and rear wheel covers inspired by group C race cars, making it the first Pagani to ever use this styling. It also has a rear spoiler, air intakes and rear lights taken from the 760 series cars. Power comes courtesy of the 7.3 L (445 cu in) Mercedes-Benz V12 engine producing 800 PS (588 kW; 789 hp) and 850 N⋅m (627 lb⋅ft) of torque making it the most powerful road legal Zonda ever produced. It borrows its seats and suspension from the Huayra BC along with its power output being identical to the BC with the only difference being that the BC has a Bi-turbo engine while the HP Barchetta is naturally aspirated. The wheels of the car also have different colour inlays with the wheels at the left having gold and the wheels at the right having blue inlays. Production is limited to just 3 units with one unit retained for Horacio Pagani's personal collection and the other two costing US$15M. The Zonda HP Barchetta marks an end to the Zonda's production run. The 760 series cars and other special edition Zondas can still be commissioned upon customer request.
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