While the Zonda R shares the basic double wishbone suspension philosophy with its road going cousins, the execution is a radical departure with a fully adjustable race setup incorporating Aspa forged AvionAl components. Ohlins supplies its spring and damper units. The machined structural ErgAl parts supporting the engine and gearbox were also designed to reduce overall weight. This obsession with weight saving found a further small but significant boost through the use of Poggipolini Titanium screws across the whole car.
Such perfection doesn't come cheap. The Zonda R's stratospheric 1.46 million price tag shades even the Bugatti Veyron. However, in the rarified supercar world, Horacio Pagani has defied all critics to become a legend in his own time. To date, around 100 Zondas have been built, and they hold their value like no other, the Enzo Ferrari being the honorable exception. While the market for high-end bankers is circling the bowl, the world of high-end art is still doing pirouettes.
Pagani will only make 15 Zonda Rs, and even before this prototype turned a wheel in front of us at Monza, 10 had already been accounted for. To sell such an expensive toy in the depths of the worse recession we've seen in 70 years takes a special touch. Some would call it art; others simply the magic of Pagani.
Pagani Zonda R
* Layout
Longitudinal mid-engine, rear-wheel drive
* Engine
6.0-liter V12, dohc, 48-valve, turbocharged and intercooled
* Transmission
Six-speed sequential manual
* Suspension
Dual wishbone, adjustable Ohlins coilovers
* Brakes
Six-piston Brembo calipers, 380mm ceramic rotors (f), four-piston calipers, 380mm ceramic rotors (r)
* Wheels and Tires
APP forged alloys, 19-inch (f), 20-inch (r)
Pirelli P Zero, 255/35R19 (f), 335/30R20 (r)
* Chassis
Carbon-titanium composite tub, chrome-moly roll cage, carbon bodywork, flat undertray and rear diffuser, unique front bonnet
* Performance
Peak Power*: 750 hp @ 7500 rpm
Peak Torque: 524 lb-ft @ 5700 rpm
0-62 mph: 2.7 sec.
Top Speed: 218 mph
*DIN horsepower (691 SAE)