In full Clubsport spec, the F gets the 650-hp version of AMG's 7.3-liter V12-a bullying thug of an engine that doesn't like towns and lives for the long and winding road. We were never going to get near the limits on public roads in England-we'd have finished up on YouTube, followed by prison. But it's nice to know we could have. The Zonda surprises by its sheer accessibility as much as its outright power. You could drive it every day if you could park it at the curb and not worry about vandals.
Anti-stall technology is deployed to keep the revs in shape. Despite a heavy feel, the wonderfully ornate clutch pedal never sends the car bunny hopping down the road. With a higher gear, it will handle urban ruts and potholes with just a shudder through the carbon fiber chassis.
From Mercedes, Pagani inherited one of the most advanced traction control and safety systems in the world, so there's no danger of spinning from a standing start. With all the gadgets left on, anyone could drive this car. Assisted, instantaneous steering homes in on the apex and those hamster-cheek front fenders make this car easier to place than most modern hatchbacks. At sane speeds, the Roadster F follows the hands straight and true.
At its limits, with the ass-saving gadgets turned off, the car is a trickier beast. But those shenanigans are not for the public road. And it's a crying shame that this machine is too beautiful to hammer around a track. It's perhaps the perverse pointlessness of a car that will probably leave the garage only to cruise the strip at Monte Carlo or Puerto Banus that makes it so damned attractive.
Over-the-top thinking like this made us fall in love with cars in the first place. The Zonda Roadster F is a dream made real. In terms of pure supercar design, it doesn't get better than this.
For his next car, Pagani has promised something truly special, a machine that will trump the Zonda in every respect. Whether it will have the same (or bigger) impact remains to be seen, but in the Zonda, the new car will have a mighty tough act to follow.
Pagani Zonda Roadster F
*Layout
Longitudinal mid-engine, rear-wheel drive
*Engine
7.3-liter V12, dohc, 48-valve
*Suspension (f & r)
Double wishbones, pushrod-actuated coil springs, Ohlins adjustable shock absorbers, anti-roll bar
*Brakes (f & r)
Vented carbon ceramic discs
*Tires
Pirelli P Zero, 255/35R19 (f), 335/30R20 (r)
*Performance
Peak Power: 650 hp @ 6200 rpm
Torque: 547 lb-ft @ 4000 rpm
0-60mph: 3.4 sec.
*Dimensions
Length/Width/Height (in.): 174.6/80.9/44.9
Wheelbase: 107.5 in.
Curb Weight: 2,706 lb