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Pagani Zonda, a visit to the factory
By Michale Tange and Michael van de Velde
In spring of 2006 at the Geneva Motor Show, she was presented in all her beauty and superiority to the world, the Pagani Zonda Roadster F. The next five years that followed saw limited editions built with extreme precision for her devotees.
This story starts in 1999, when the Zonda C12 was revealed to the public. Many versions followed; among them, the Zonda Roadster F. In this article, you will learn the origin of the name ‘Zonda’ and the ‘F’, where and how it is built and for whom. Let's begin where all Zondas begin: the Pagani Factory.
San Cesario sul Panaro, a place not far from Modena, is the home of the most famous of Italian sports cars. In a building, too small for most car manufacturers, we find the birthplace of the Pagani. In the area the size of a considerable living room, Pagani cars are assembled. The springs (as springs go for a sports car) are fabricated elsewhere on the street.
Brembo looks after the brakes and the AMG division of Mercedes-Benz provides the 12-cylinder engine. Up to this point, the carbon fiber components have been formed in a specially controlled room the size of a bedroom. Several pieces of carbon fiber layers (soft material at this stage) are woven into shape by master craftsmen. When the carbon fiber components are processed into its final shape, they go into a large oven, where the carbon fiber material is heated where it get its actual strength. It is truly amazing to see how these high-speed cars with their extreme precision come about.
The manufacturing plant also houses the Pagani's that are brought in for maintenance. Of course, those Pagani’s that are shipped too far away to get their maintenance done here have to use one of the very few local dealerships located around the globe.
Finally, there is a special space, again for the size of a bedroom, where each Pagani runs through a final checklist, before it can be handed over to the customer. Here, Mr. Pagani and a test driver both must sign off on the car before it is moved to a small stylishly dressed showroom where it waits for its happy new owner to arrive to pick up his opulent new piece. 
On a sunny day in mid-June of 2006, the first two Zonda Roadster F’s ever produced were ready to be handed over to the proud new owners. The first will remain in Italy with the Barresi family. Perhaps you have heard of them before; they are also known for #23 of the Ferrari FXX. The second will go to Fernando Adrian E. He is the very first Pagani owner in the Ukraine.
Have you ever wondered where that name ‘Zonda’ in fact comes from? Zonda is the name of an air current which blows through the Argentinian Andes. There is also a circuit named ‘Autodromo called ell Zonda’ in the middle of the Argentine mountains. What about the “F”? Well, many years ago Horacio Pagani had promised his childhood idol, Juan Manuel Fangio, that he would design a car to honor him. The honorary Juan Manuel is famous for his incredible performances as a race car driver. Fangio was pleased about with this idea, however, there was one condition: the car had to have a Mercedes-Benz engine.
Unfortunately in 1995, the Argentinian quintuple Formula 1 world champion passed away. Mr. Pagani now found it inappropriate to name his finished product ‘Fangio’. So he decided that the first Pagani should be named Zonda. After the Zonda Christina 12 and Zonda S were produced, the Pagani Company established itself firmly on the market of rare luxury cars. To keep that status, Pagan had to develop a worthy successor. In 2005, 10 years after Fangio passed away, a new model was unveiled. On the floor of the Geneva Motor Show, Horacio presented the Pagani Zonda F. Can you guess now what the “F” stands for? You got it - Fangio!
As with many sports car brands, the humble Pagani factory couldn’t pass up the opportunity to create a Roadster version of the already successful new Zonda. It is only a matter of time before research and development accomplished a Roadster version worthy of the Zonda and Fangio names. There were several factors to be considered, such as, how do you preserve the strength of the cockpit if the roof is removed without adding too much weight? And how drastically does the design need to be adapted without negatively influencing the lines of the original model?
Unique in their class, these new Roadsters have virtually the same weight as their sister version, the coupé. This affected both of the Zonda Roadsters: one from 2003 and the Zonda Roadster F from 2006. These issues were solved by leaving all of the high-tech electronics off of the car. For example, you must assemble and disassemble the roof manually. Furthermore, the unique mixture of the carbon fiber and the way these layers have been placed on to each other give enough support to give it the strength the car is known for.
Horacio Pagani smartly realized that customers would pay a lot of money for his rare models. He stands apart from all others for the high level of attention to detail he gives to each component. Unlike others, his cars come primarily in blank carbon, providing folding in the layers which is particularly important but a difficult task to accomplish. Mr. Pagani does the layer structure approval himself. When 3% or so of the woven carbon structure doesn’t match, that component is taken out of production. Customers can also compose their car themselves. In almost all cases, the Pagani professionals can fulfill the individual requests of their customers. Even something as farfetched as a Zonda 750 (street-legal Zonda R) is within the realm of possibilities. In total there are about 140 Zondas built, such as the C12, S, F, Cinque, the Roadster versions, Tricolore and the R. It is nearly certain that the Zonda 750 will be the very last of its type. Meanwhile, the Zonda has already been replaced by a newer model, the Pagani Huyara, which presently only available as a coupé.
Before the Zonda became a closed chapter, there was the very last Zonda Roadster F, namely number 25 of 25. This purple tinted convertible Club sport edition is a worthy goodbye to the Zonda line of Pagani. As with each Club sport edition, this Zonda is equipped with a 12-cylinder Mercedes-Benz AMG engine, which provides 650 BHP. The maximum torque reaches 780 Nm. The Roadster is capable of going from 0 to 60 MPH in 3.6 seconds and has a top speed of 214 MPH. The sprint from 0 to 124 MPH goes in 9.8 seconds. All of this power and precision, wrapped up in a transparent layer carbon exterior and purple interior, she is a strikingly beautiful combination for a car that is already known for sporting an impressive styles. Number twenty five’s new owner clearly created something unique. It might not be every one’s cup of tea, but you should judge yourself by having a look at our photo gallery.
By the way, an interesting piece of trivia: the last Zonda Roadster F also went to the Ukraine.
01/23/12
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