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.
Immediately hailed for its radical styling, stunning performance and almost inconceivable technical sophistication, the Zonda was clearly the physical realization of Mr. Pagani’s relentless pursuit to create “Una Macchina con Anima”— a car with a soul. Introduced at the 2003 Geneva Show, the Zonda Roadster incorporated a removable carbon-fiber roof panel and forged aluminum, 19-inch alloy wheels and ultra-low-profile tires measuring 255 mm in the front and 335 mm in the rear, which were specially designed by Michelin for this machine. Powered by a 7,291-cc DOHC Mercedes-Benz AMG E73 60-degree Alloy V12 with Bosch Motronic ME7 sequential electronic fuel injection, this car produces 555 horsepower at 5,900 rpm.
The car can is capable of a 220 mph top speed. Collector-owned and maintained from new, it is housed in Europe and offered at auction today in as-new condition. With only about 4,970 miles traveled from new, it is finished in a red exterior with black hides stitched red. The Pagani factory has confirmed that a total of only 12 Roadsters were produced, of which this example is Number 8. A new factory plaque attesting to this fact was just delivered by Pagani and installed into the car.