G E A R E D - I N

What car can shock the daylights out of a McLaren F1 or inspire awe from a Lamborghini Murcielago? Only one car springs to mind right now--Italy's Pagani Zonda.  Pagani who, you might ask?

The company is Pagani Automobili, a one-model carmaker based in Modena, just a sprint away from the headquarters of the Prancing Horse.  The “who” is founder Horacio Pagani, born and raised in Argentina.  After designing and building a Formula 3 car at the age of 20, Mr. Pagani made his way to Modena, arguably the supercar capital of the world.  He carried with him a letter of introduction from fellow Argentine and five-time F1 champion Juan Manuel Fangio.  He had met Mr. Fangio at a dinner party in their home country and expressed his intention to one day build a supercar in honor of the World Champion.  Mr. Pagani was hired by Lamborghini, and began to specialize in carbon fiber design and construction, working on, among other things, the Countach anniversary project.

In 1992 he founded Modena Design, a company specializing in composite materials.  Customers include Lamborghini, Ferrari, race car builder Dallara, and Aprilia.  Porsche, McLaren and Ferrari build racing cars--that's what makes their road models so special.  What gives Pagani’s creations their own cachet is the company’s expertise in carbon fiber.  The Zonda C12 was unveiled in Geneva in 1999, followed by the C12S featuring a more powerful engine, and now, the topless C12S Roadster.  Mr. Pagani changed the name from Fangio F1 to Zonda, the wind that blows in the Andes, out of modesty and respect for Mr. Fangio, who had by then passed away.  The car’s main weapon is its relatively svelte curb weight of 1280 kg for the Roadster--that’s 70 kg lighter than a Honda Accord.

On the other side of the performance equation is the immense power from the AMG-Mercedes bolted behind the seats.  Story has it that Mr. Fangio himself had requested that the car have a Mercedes-Benz engine, as a gesture of thanks to the company that allowed him to win many races.  7.3 liters, 12 cylinders, 48 valves and four camshafts plus much tweaking by AMG equal 555 hp and 76.5 kg-m of torque.  The normally aspirated powerplant mates to a 6-speed manual transmission, channeling everything to the rear wheels.  These combine for a catapult-like response, propelling the car from 0 to 100 kph in 3.7 seconds.  Top speed exceeds 320 kph.

Hauling everything down are Brembo disc brakes at all four corners, equipped with ABS.  Traction control also keeps watch over the drivetrain. Cornering speeds of the 2-meter wide car are phenomenal, and the sophisticated suspension and ultra-stiff chassis promise the feel of a large go-kart.

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