Pagani Zonda

Manufacturer	Pagani
Production	1999–2011 (206 produced)
Assembly	Modena, Italy
Successor	Pagani Huayra
Class	Sports car
Body style	2-seat Berlinetta 2-seat Roadster
Layout	Rear mid-engine, rear-wheel drive
Engine	6.0 L V12 7.0 L V12 7.3 L V12
Transmission	5-speed manual 6-speed manual 6-speed sequential
Wheelbase	2,730 mm (107.5 in)
Length	4,395–4,435 mm (173.0–174.6 in)
Width	2,055 mm (80.9 in)
Height	1,151–1,141 mm (45.3–44.9 in)
Curb weight	Dryweight: 1,250–1,210 kg (2,756–2,668 lb)

The Pagani Zonda is a sports car built by the Italian manufacturer Pagani. It debuted in 1999, and production ended in 2011. As of June 2009, 206 Zondas had been built, including test mules. Both 2-seat coupe and convertible versions have been produced. Construction is mainly of carbon fiber.

Some of the early Zonda engineering was done by Formula One champion Juan Manuel Fangio. The car was originally to be named the "Fangio F1" after him but, following his death in 1995, it was renamed for an air current above Argentina.^{[1][clarification needed]}

Overview[link]

Zonda C12[link]

The Zonda C12 debuted in 2000 at the Geneva Motor Show. Powered by a 6.0 L (366 cu in) Mercedes-Benz V12 engine producing 394 PS (290 kW; 389 hp) at 5200 rpm and 570 N·m (420 lb·ft) at 3800 rpm mated to a 5-speed manual transmission gearbox. The C12 could accelerate to 60 mph (97 km/h) in 4.2 seconds and to 100 mph (160 km/h) in 9.2 seconds.

Just five of the original 6.0 L Zondas were built, though it was still available in 2002 when the C12 S debuted. One was used for crash testing, while another was a demonstrator and show car. The remainder were delivered to customers during the next three years.

Zonda S[link]

The Zonda S uses a 7.0 L (427 cu in) AMG–tuned version of the engine producing 550 PS (400 kW; 540 hp). It can accelerate to 62 mph (100 km/h) in 3.7 secs, to 100 mph (160 km/h) in 7.5 secs and complete the quarter mile in 11.3 secs. Lateral acceleration on the skidpad is 1.18 g (11.6 m/s²), it can reach a top speed of 208 mph (335 km/h), and carries a price tag of US$500,000.

The Zonda S features an elongated nose, flaps at the rear for improved aerodynamics, and new light clusters and exhausts. Only fifteen 7.0 L Zonda S cars were produced.

Zonda S 7.3[link]

Zonda S 7.3

The Zonda S 7.3 of 2002 used a new, larger V12 engine displacing 7.3 L (445 cu in) designed and manufactured by Mercedes-Benz AMG producing 555 PS (408 kW; 547 hp) and 750 N·m (550 lb·ft), to better handle the power, traction control and ABS were made standard. Performance claims were unchanged from the Zonda S.

In February 2003 the UK automotive magazine EVO attempted a top speed run on the Autobahn in which the car topped out at 198 mph (319 km/h), 10 mph (16 km/h) off the mark of its claimed top speed of 208 mph (335 km/h). Company representatives at Pagani's factory claimed this was the result of the car being in the setting for maximum down force, something that would drop its top speed to around 200 mph (320 km/h). However, the EVO article claimed that aerodynamic parts, specifically ones which created drag were in fact removed during the run, bringing Pagani's claims into question.

Zonda Roadster[link]

In 2003 Pagani presented the Zonda Roadster, a roadster version of the Zonda S 7.3. Carrying the same components as the coupe, Pagani promised no loss of performance, a claim supported by the minimal weight gain of 30 kilograms (66 lb). A total of 12 roadsters were produced.^[2]

Zonda F[link]

The Zonda F debuted at the 2005 Geneva Motor Show. It is the most extensive re-engineering of the Zonda yet, though it shares much with its predecessors including the 7.3 L AMG V12 engine which through enhanced intake manifolds, exhaust and a revised ECU now produces 602 PS (443 kW; 594 hp) at 6150 rpm and 560 lb·ft (759 N·m) at 4000 rpm.

Production of the Zonda F will be limited to 25 cars, not US compatible. The next model (named the Huayra), will be fully EPA/DOT compatible.

The Zonda F, named after Formula One driver Juan Manuel Fangio, comes with an extra head light and different fog lights at the sides, new bodywork (revised front end, new rear spoiler, more aerodynamic vents all around) that improves the cars aerodynamics and different side mirrors. Further enhancements over the 'S' centre around optional carbon/ceramic brakes developed in conjunction with Brembo, magnesium wheels, inconel titanium exhaust system, hydroformed aluminum intake plenum and a redesigned 'Z preg' weave in the crash structure to improve rigidity and reduce weight.

Zonda Roadster F[link]

The Zonda Roadster F debuted at the 2006 Geneva show. It is similar to the coupe, but with a removable carbon fibre roof and canvas side curtains weighing just 5 kilograms (11 lb). Production of the Roadster F is suggested at 25 units.

The Roadster F is able to maintain chassis rigidity without any gain in curb weight by eschewing conventional thinking by not strengthening the sills - a process which would have needed more than 35 kilograms (77 lb) of reinforcement. Pagani instead uses racing car thinking, materials and construction techniques, strengthening the firewall structure of the chassis tub together with billet alloy braces that connect the points where the roof rails would have joined. The windscreen is also strengthened for safety reasons. These techniques enable the Roadster to have virtually the same weight as the coupe, 1,230 kilograms (2,700 lb).^[3]

The Zonda Roadster F Clubsport was tested by Top Gear's The Stig and 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. According to James May, the Zonda F Roadster costs £825,000. 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.^[4]

Pagani Zonda Cinque coupe.

Zonda Cinque[link]

The Zonda Cinque was meant to be the last iteration of the Zonda, being a road going version of the Zonda R. Only five were built at the cost of £1 million ($1,930,700), with deliveries set to June 2009 for all five cars.

The differences over other road-going Zondas are the new 6-speed sequential gearbox, resulting in shifts now taking less than 100 milliseconds, dropping 0–62 mph down to 3.4 seconds. The Cinque also has a revised form of carbon fibre called "carbo-titanium" which incorporates titanium to increase strength and rigidity. Suspension makes use of magnesium and titanium components, and the engine's power has been increased to 678 PS (499 kW; 669 hp). Revised bodywork, which includes a longer front splitter, new sideskirts, rear diffuser, bumper canards and a flatter underside as well as a roof-mounted air intake scoop, enables the Cinque to create 750 kg (1,653 lb) of downforce at 300 km/h (186 mph) and 1.45 G of cornering force.

Pagani Zonda Cinque Roadster

Zonda Cinque Roadster[link]

The Roadster has the same specs as the Coupé from which it's derived and only 5 units were built, with a price of £1.3-million/US$2 million plus local taxes.^[5]

Pagani Zonda Tricolore

Zonda Tricolore[link]

The final mass-produced Zonda was originally conceived as a one-off; there were actually three Tricolores built. It was built as a tribute to the country's aerobatic team. It carries a lot of the body from the Zonda Cinque. The car is unpainted except for a clear blue lacquer and red, white and green stripes that run up from the nose along the top of the car's surface. Unique to this car is a small wing placed behind the cockpit which reflects tricolore's Aermacchi MB-39 PAN stunt planes tail wing. The three Tricolore's will be priced at £1.2 Million. It's also 6 mph (9.7 km/h) faster than a standard Zonda at 220 mph (350 km/h).

Special editions[link]

Monza[link]

The Zonda Monza shown at the 2004 Paris Motor Show is a track-day version of the Zonda built to request for private use. Borrowing its appearance cues from the Zonda GR, the Monza included a dry sump version of the Zonda S 7.3 engine tuned to 600 PS (441 kW; 592 hp) and had improved cooling. Modified aerodynamics, including a different wing and front diffuser, allowed greater speed, as did optimized gearing. The car was lighter, with polycarbonate side windows, and an unmuffled exhaust is fitted. The revised interior includes different pedals, steering wheel, and seats, as well as a reinforced roll cage. Larger brakes and a stiffer suspension also improve performance. Finally, an external fire extinguisher is included for safety.

GJ[link]

Pagani Zonda GJ

After a crash in Scotland involving “an internationally famous racing champ” a Zonda S owned by Scottish gas industry Tycoon Gareth Jones was sent to the Pagani factory and became the one-off custom built Zonda GJ. It was finished in matte carbon and received a front wing upgrade and intake scoops located on the rear wheel arches, as well as several other features taken from the Cinque and F models.

Uno[link]

Pagani Zonda Uno

Pagani Zonda Absolute

A special one-off built for Ana Al-Thani, a member of the Royal family of Qatar, famous for his turquoise car collection. Originally the car was a Zonda F Roadster that was crashed in Qatar and was sent back to the factory to be rebuilt.^[6] The car is specced like a Cinque with the new carbo-titanium chassis. It also has the LEDs on the front of the car like the Tricolore. Unique to this car are the darkened rear lights and the rear exhaust (the four pipes are shorter than standard). Also the black wheels with turquoise wheel-striping, and the dual-tone diffuser are real eye-catchers, together with lots of other black accents like the collector of the exhaust tail pipes.

RAK[link]

Another one-off estimated to be worth 1.5 million euros with a two-tone black and yellow colour scheme with a custom interior, fitted with sport bucket seats.

HH[link]

The Zonda HH is a special one-off edition, in Monterey Blue, that features the engine from the Cinque and most of the bodywork from the Zonda F Roadster. The HH was commissioned by Danish programmer David Heinemeier Hansson.

750[link]

The Zonda 750 was another special one-off edition Zonda for a member of the Al-Thani family. However the order for it was canceled due to a disagreement between the proposed owner and Pagani.^[7] The 750 is mainly based on the Cinque but also features several custom parts. It was expected that it would be finished in a Purple colour.

Absolute[link]

The Pagani Zonda Absolute is a special one-off edition Zonda to be shipped to Hong Kong. It features the matte black carbon fiber body of the Pagani Zonda R, but it has the engine of the Pagani Zonda Cinque & is a right hand drive.

PS[link]

A one-off special that was commissioned by Peter Saywell. The car is the only one with all four exhaust pipes placed in a row instead of a circle.

Zonda F Roadster Final Edition[link]

The last Zonda F Roadster were commissioned in 2010 and 2011 to commemorate the end of the Zonda F production. All of them were finished with a carbonfiber body and upgraded horsepower to 665 horsepower.

760RS[link]

The Zonda 760 RS is another one-off version built for a customer in Chile. It has a 760 hp engine attached to a sequential gearbox and finished with a carbon exterior and black interior. The 760RS also features a distinctive rear fin that runs down the centre of the car, while also feature the same air ducts and roof air intake as the Cinque.^[8]

Zonda R[link]

Zonda R

Manufacturer	Pagani
Production	2009 (15 produced)
Class	Racing car
Body style	2-door coupe
Layout	Rear mid-engine, rear-wheel drive
Engine	6.0 L AMGV12
Transmission	Xtrac 672 6-speed sequential manual
Wheelbase	2,785 mm (109.6 in)
Length	4,886 mm (192.4 in)
Width	2,014 mm (79.3 in)
Height	1,141 mm (44.9 in)
Curb weight	1,070 kg (2,359 lb)(dry weight)

	Pagani Zonda R at Goodwood Festival of Speed 2009
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The Zonda R debuted at the Geneva Motor Show 2007, using the 6.0 litre V12 M120 engine sourced from the race version of the Mercedes-Benz CLK-GTR.^[9] The Zonda R's competition lies with track-biased cars such as the Ferrari FXX and Maserati MC12 Corsa rather than the original Zonda's road competitors as it is not road-homologated.

Despite sharing much of the Zonda's shape, the R is almost entirely new, sharing only 10% of the Zonda F's components. It has been obliquely suggested by Horacio Pagani that this car is a testbed chassis for certain components of the Zonda's replacement (in the same vein as the Ferrari 288 GTO Evoluzione and the successive F40) and that the Zonda R accurately reflects some of the Zonda's successor's features.

Chassis[link]

The central carbon chassis incorporates a roll cage and a rubber racing fuel cell with 4 fuel pumps and quick refuel filler cap, similar to GT race cars. The wheelbase has been increased by 47 mm (1.9 in) to increase stability. The front and rear subframes are brand-new, built to accommodate new suspension geometry, and produced in Avional. The slick-shod wheels are new forged-magnesium center-lock models, which in conjunction with on-board pneumatic airjacks (again, like the FXX) allow rapid change of the entire wheel assemblies.

The car senses, displays and logs information about the amount of downforce that is generated at each wheel at all times. It is thought that this system will enable owners to adjust set-up according to track conditions and to improve their cornering technique.

Bodywork[link]

In addition to the wheelbase increase (47 mm), overall length has increased by 394 mm (15.5 in) and track by 50 mm (2.0 in). The bodywork and aerodynamics have been altered to offer maximum downforce, featuring a longer front bonnet with flaps, a closed underbody and a new rear overhang with adjustable rear wing and race-derived diffuser. These are intended to translate into increased aerodynamic efficiency and downforce for maximum cornering speed. It is also noted that the car's new rear bodywork is minimal in the extreme, being composed mostly of vent. This is thought to be symptomatic of the need to keep the engine cool enough, even under hard track use. Again, this is similar to the gutted bodywork of the Ferrari FXX Evoluzione.

Engine[link]

Zonda R engine (Mercedes-Benz M120 AMG)

Output has increased to 750 PS (552 kW; 740 hp) at 8500 rpm and 710 N·m (524 lb·ft) of torque. A lightweight carbon fibre high performance intake system, racing multiple disc centered clutch and Formula One-style exhaust system, hydroformed in Inconel 625 and ceramic coated for optimal heat dissipation, have been added. The AMG-built engine is mated to a 6-speed longitudinally-mounted manual sequential synchronized gearbox.

Interior[link]

The car's interior is spartan reflecting the car's racetrack aspirations and intended home, and features bespoke seats, customized to the driver to offer maximum support. As before, the Digitek instrumentation provides essential information and the sophisticated telemetry allows a variety of sensors to monitor numerous aspects of the car.

Racing[link]

Zonda GR[link]

Development of the Zonda GR started in December 2002. At this stage the Zonda was nearly four years old, but had yet to be entered in major motorsports. Tom Weickardt, owner of American Viperacing, Toine Hezemans, owner of Carsport Holland, and Paul Kumpen, owner of GLPK, created a new company, Carsport Zonda, to build a racing version. They secured exclusive rights to develop, build and sell competition Zondas from Horacio Pagani, and the first GR was completed at Carsport's facility in Modena within months.

The Zonda GR is based on the Zonda S. It was built on the same carbon fiber chassis, with tube frames in front and back. The bodywork was modified to include front and rear diffusers and louvers for improved aerodynamics. The car was 2 meters (6.6 ft) wide, in accordance with the regulations of the FIA and ACO. The car's weight was reduced to 1,100 kilograms (2,400 lb), and a new suspension was designed. New wheels and brakes were also specified. The engine was equipped with an enlarged radiator, and the engine and gearbox also have new oil coolers.

The performance of the Zonda GR is well beyond that of the stock car. The car sprints from 0 to 60 mph (97 km/h) in 3.3 seconds and the engine produces around 600 PS (440 kW; 590 hp) at 5,800 rpm and 580 lb·ft (786 N·m) of torque at 4,300 rpm with a redline increased to 7,500 rpm.

Gallery[link]

• 

  Pagani Zonda F engine

• 

  Pagani Zonda

• 

  Pagani Zonda Roadster

• 

  Pagani Zonda PS (Peter Saywell)

• 

  Pagani Zonda PS

• 

  Interior of Zonda Absolute

Notes[link]

References[link]

This article includes a list of references, but its sources remain unclear because it has insufficient inline citations. Please help to improve this article by introducing more precise citations. (June 2008)

• "First Drive: Pagani Zonda C12S". Motor Trend. http://www.motortrend.com/roadtests/coupe/112_0212_pagani_zonda_c12s/. Retrieved April 19, 2005. 
• "The Supercar, not the sandwich". Car and Driver. http://www.caranddriver.com/article.asp?section_id=29&article_id=9049&page_number=1. Retrieved April 19, 2005. 
• "Topless Exotics". Road & Track. http://www.roadandtrack.com/article.asp?section_id=7&article_id=2220&page_number=3. Retrieved June 13, 2005. 
• "Pagani Zonda Official Site". PaganiAutomobili. http://www.paganiautomobili.it. Retrieved July 12, 2006. 
• "5 Nubile Notables". Car&Driver. http://www.caranddriver.com/article.asp?section_id=4&article_id=6738&page_number=4. Retrieved August 8, 2005. 
• "Zonda GR". 7 Extreme Motor Sports. http://www.7extrememotorsports.com/lemans/cars/gts-pagani-zonda-gr.htm. Retrieved August 8, 2005. 
• "Pagani List Cars". Fast-Autos. Archived from the original on August 3, 2005. http://web.archive.org/web/20050803021434/http://www.fast-autos.net/pagani/pagani.html. Retrieved August 8, 2005. 
• "The Zonda GR". QV500. Archived from the original on October 31, 2005. http://web.archive.org/web/20051031234220/http://www.qv500.com/paganizondap4.php. Retrieved August 8, 2005. 
• Horrell, Paul (January 2006). "Space Craft". Motor Trend 58 (1): 96–100. 
• Kuah, Ian. "Horacio's Comet". Sports Car International (March 2006): 36–42. 
• 2009 Pagani Zonda R Review

External links[link]

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