PAGANI AUTOMOBILI CELEBRATES THE 20th ANNIVERSARY OF THE ZONDA AT THE GENEVA MOTOR SHOW 2019
âą The iconic Zonda C12, chassis number 001, at the Geneva International Motor Show
âą A special US-spec Huayra Roadster on display
âą 2018 as the new record year
Geneva, San Cesario Sul Panaro – 1st March 2019. Pagani Automobili announces the 20th Anniversary since the presentation of the Zonda C12 at the Geneva International Motor Show with the world premiere of the very first chassis of Zonda having been completely restored.
Plus, an extremely rare example of the Pagani Huayra Roadster with a special, unique finish to the carbon fibre body, on display at the 89th edition of the Show.
20 Years of Emotions
The 2019 motor show marks a very special moment in the history of Pagani Automobili. Twenty years have elapsed since that 1999 Geneva Auto Show when the world discovered a Zonda, the C12, for the very first time. A futuristic and revolutionary car in some respect, with the glass roof and the deep, curved screen, one had the impression of sitting in the pointy end of a fighter jet; purely designed to convey strong emotions from the very first moment it was encountered.
Immediately identified as a clear break from the automotive establishment at the time, so much so, as to deserve the new name of hypercar on purpose, the Pagani Zonda has easily become one of the most celebrated cars over the last 20 years. Each of its different variants being recognized with many important awards and setting speed records on some of the most challenging race circuits in the world.
The tale of this supercar is pure emotion: the project took shape in the late â90s; a time of critical economic changes and new global regulations. In such a scenario, several difficulties of a shrinking market play against the rise of new initiatives. Supporting heavy investments for the production of relatively few examples of a car was not only an extreme challenge, but also requires an act of courage. It is against this background that the Zonda was born from the fusion of nerve, sacrifice, and passion; this marks the beginning of the Pagani Automobili adventure in the automotive world, after 9 years of profound in-depth, innovative studies and refinement.
In the Modenese workshop, the painstaking manual skill of the Florentine, Renaissance-like craftsmen, combined with the technologies found only in F1 cars and space rockets. In Modena, the homeland of the most beloved sports cars of all time. Zonda is the first street-legal car made by the Modenese Atelier, a synthesis of the forefront of technology combined with the utmost care for detail, created with passion and, moreover, a radical new way of thinking about the design of a supercar.
Even today Zonda embodies the quintessence of Pagani Automobiliâs core values: it combines emotion with functionality, art with science, at every step of the creation. Above all, Zonda tells the story between a young designer and the great Juan Manuel Fangio, a legendary Formula 1 World Champion, a great friend and mentor, fundamental in supporting the dreams of Horacio Pagani.
Horacio Pagani, Founder & Chief Designer: âEssentially, we are all car enthusiasts at Pagani Automobili. We just love all cars, but particularly those that nurtured our childhood dreams; that still inspire us and so will for the future designers. It is a known fact that we ourselves took inspiration from Le Mansâ vehicles of the â80s and â90s for the development of the Zonda which subsequently influenced the Huayra project; which, in turn, will do so with the next Pagani models. Today we pay homage to the Zonda, the car that allowed us to grow up, confirm our initial gambles and, above all, share our great passion with the whole world.â
Just 140 street legal examples in total since 1999. Each with its own soul, each like a bespoke suit stitched exclusively around the clientâs own tastes. The ultimate rarity of these cars allows them to remarkably increase their value over time, turning out to be great investments. And with the goal of safeguarding this investment, Pagani has started the programmes Pagani Rinascimento and Pagani Puro; designed not only for restoring, certifying, and preserving the Pagani vehicle authenticity but also to enhance their value year after year. Last but not least, the two programmes provide warranty extensions.
In this spirit, the Pagani Atelier is born from the dream of a single man and his very few collaborators and partners. 20 years later it is a team of 177 enthusiasts and artisans, all pushed by that same passion; all together pursuing, with Huayra, the top exclusive production, tailoring real bespoke suits.
The Pagani Zonda C12, the first chassis ever created
Coming from the passion of a child, the Pagani Zonda C12 has been the first Pagani vehicle ever made by the Atelier of San Cesario sul Panaro. With a silver livery inspired by the Group Câs Silver Arrows of Mercedes Benz, it was first unveiled at the Geneva International Motor Show on the 9th March 1999 and shows an idea of a car that was completely out of the ordinary for the time.
This was not just another show car on display, but a fully homologated car with an incredible amount of miles driven and tested before being unveiled to the world. And once opened, the rear carbon fibre bonnet, the majestic V12 engine appears, bearing the Mercedes Benz mark and its star. The relationship with the German company has always been based on great collaboration and mutual respect; in 20 years, it brought the official supply of the V12 engines specifically designed and hand-build for Pagani.
Exactly 20 years after that day, the Atelier pays homage to the iconic supercar with the faithful restoration of the chassis n° 001, originally used for the homologation and crash tests; most of the original parts were recovered so as to restore the exact same configuration of the March 1999. Thanks to the Rinascimento Programme the car has now been brought back to its former glory; starting with the restoration of the existing parts, even the smallest of details has been renovated to pristine condition. It was also possible to rebuild the original components thanks to the precise specifications carefully stored in the Pagani archives, still kept today for every car that leaves the factory.
Now today, just as in 1999, the original configuration of the Zonda shows all the art and the engineering of the carbon fibre, as well as the beautiful combination of other advanced composite materials that on the C12 were used for the entire construction of the central monocoque and the body panels.
The tub and passenger cell, in fact, had already been recognized by 13 different patents before the unveiling and the use of composite materials in a project with such innovative aspects and processes, made this car one of the safest in the world. The laboratory of new technologies that was Pagani Automobili, kept pursuing this non-stop experimentation and development over the last 20 years, striving towards continuous improvements in terms of stiffness and lightness on all materials.
Chassis 001 is equipped with the prestigious and original Mercedes-Benz 6 litre V12 engine with an output of 450 hp, which in the early 2000s allowed to achieve excellent results in terms of performance and set lap records on some of the most important circuits of the world. The meticulous artisanal work was carried out on the mechanics of the car, on the electronic systems, and in fact on just about every component of the car to recover the authentic look and functionality. From the suspension, right down to the screws and bolts, as well as the rims, the wheel hubs, and the unmistakable four exhaust pipes that have become the brandâs signature: each element has been restored, identically, to the original configuration of the first Zonda ever presented.
In the livery of Puro Silver lives the spirit of a timeless wind and the interiors, inspired by past, present and future cultures, still keep their authentic essence. Restored to the letter, they will help making the Zonda C12 live the charm of the debut once more.
Huayra Roadster
On display at the 89th edition of the Geneva International Motor Show is also a unique example of Pagani Huayra Roadster, the current production car of the Atelier in Modena.
With fully exposed Blu Tricolore carbon fiber body in a matt finish and Bianco Malta white accents to enhance its outline: this is the colour combination proposed by the carbon-fiber craftsmen of Pagani Automobili for the Huayra Roadster on display, a true example of creative taste and attention to every detail.
The blue and white leather interior recalls the special features of the livery and bears witness to the continuous commitment of the company in creating unique products for its clients. With the delivery of more than half of the limited production of Huayra Roadster to the clients all over the world, the Modenese brand confirms 2018 as a record year with a 35% increase in turnover compared to the previous year, establishing itself more and more as an expanding global brand.
âIn 2018 Pagani has been showing a strong growth of its distribution network globally, with two new showroom openings in Australia and Germany. For us, it is fundamental to be close to our clients in order to provide them with an always better service while preserving our exclusivity in each territoryâ – Horacio Pagani, Chief Designer.
