2005 Pagani Zonda C12 7.3 S Roadster

This car’s 0–60 mph time of 3.7 seconds makes it a strong contender for the freeway on-ramp sweepstakes, and the aural entertainment adds fun

Chassis number: ZA9C820C11OF76044

Appropriately named in honor of the legendary hot winds of its creator’s Argentine birthplace, the Zonda is the inspired brainchild of Horacio Pagani, who designed and built his first Formula 3 race car at the age of 20 and moved to Italy in 1983 to pursue his lifelong ambition of building the world’s ultimate limited-production supercar.

Pagani, who was a composites engineer with Lamborghini during the 1980s, left that storied manufacturer in 1991 and translated his high-tech expertise into his own Modena Design firm, which produced carbon-fiber components for Formula 1 teams and such marques as Daimler, Ferrari and motorcycle-maker Aprilia. In 1992, Pagani Automobili Modena was established, with seven years of development culminating in the debut of the Zonda, its first product, at the 1999 Geneva Motor Show.