Geneva Serves Up Hot Blooded Italian with a Stoic German Heart
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| The Pagani Zonda Roadster is currently on display at the Geneva auto show. (Photo: Pagani) |
It's hard to believe when seeing the company's products now, but once long ago Ferrari didn't even build road cars. All Enzo, the brand's founder and namesake, wanted to do was race and his GT cars and spyders (convertibles) were only created to fund his ambition. Just as amazing, exotic car manufacturer Lamborghini only build tractors prior to launching its first sports GT in the 1960s.
Why all this history? It just serves as a reality check to bring tiny supercar manufacturer Pagani's future possibilities into perspective. Based in Modena, Italy, Pagani unveiled its new Zonda Roadster in Geneva this week. The Italian automaker combines exotic technologies with hand built craftsmanship in an especially attractive package.
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| The Zonda Roadster's quad tail pipes, Kamm-style rear end, aero-foil rear wing and purposeful cockpit hardly hint at its performance capabilities. (Photo: Pagani) |
Pagani's new carbon fiber central-chassis structure is considered the highest in structural rigidity in the exotic segment. This improves both at-the-limit handling and safety on impact. Its roll bar, fixed to the rear section of the chassis, consists of carbon and chrome-molybdenum alloy. A high-tech carbon fiber/carbon textile removable roof is optional.
Riding mid-ship is a 555-hp 7.3-L Mercedes-Benz AMG V12 engine, the same that was previously used in the Zonda S. Its specially designed 255/35 front and 345/35 rear rubber was developed by French tire manufacturer Michelin to fit over 19-inch forged aluminum wheels.