Pagani Debuts Final Zonda R

It's hard to imagine, but Pagani's heart-breakingly beautiful Zonda supercar has been in production for 10 years now!In addition to that making me feel mighty old (gah, I remember when that car came out!), it means that the replacement for the iconic supercar is just around the corner.

While the next Zonda (if it'll even be called that) is the subject of much speculation (will it have a modified AMG 6.2L V8?  A Biturbo V12?  A DSG?), Pagani is sending the current Zonda supercar off with quite a bang.  Meet the Zonda R, the final evolution of the Pagani Zonda which began back in 1999.

That original Zonda housed a Mercedes-Benz 6.0L 48-valve V12, mildly tweaked from the S600 sedan, to produce 402 horsepower.  Pagani claimed that was good for 0-60 in just over 4 seconds, and a top speed approaching 200mph.  This Zonda R is quite a bit more extreme than those first cars.

The Zonda R uses a space frame constructed of carbon fibre and titanium.  It's longer, lower, and wider than the standard Zonda - which is long, low, and wide enough to resemble an aircraft carrier as it is.  The Zonda R incorporates carbon-fibre aerodynamic undertrays to provide downforce at speed.

The engine is an AMG-designed 6.0L 48 valve V12 race-spec motor, which produces 739 horsepower and 524 lb-ft of torque.  This 60° V12 motor is based on the old Mercedes Benz CLK-GTR powerplant, and utilizes dry sump lubrication with a seperate oil resevoir, ceramic-coated equal length mandrel-bent race headers, and individual throttle bodies for supreme response and reliable sustained high-rpm rotation.

The Zonda R ditches the Ricardo-sourced 6-speed manual for a racing-style 6-speed sequential transmission with a triple-disc clutch.  Suspension is racing-style pushrod type with double upper and lower control arms, and is fitted with a pneumatic lift for easier servicing.  The lightweight magnesium alloys are also center-locking, of course.

Inside, the Zonda's lavish interior is stripped out and only the bare essentials remain.  The biggest difference is the replacement of the standard analogue gauges with an electronic LCD display from Digitek, which gives basic driving information as well as integrated and storeable telemetry for those who take their track time very seriously.

The Zonda R will be seriously fast; it weighs in at a scant 2,360lbs (1,070kg) and has 739 screaming, German-engineered horsepower.  Pagani claims the car will accelerate to 100km/h (62.5mph) in 3 seconds flat, and on to a top speed of 233 miles an hour.  Hardly a slouch.

Considering that a "normal" (670 horsepower) Zonda F will lap the Nurburgring in 7:32, the asking price of €1.4M ($1.8M USD) seems a bit more reasonable.  Only 16 cars in total will be built, and Pagani is saving one for their museum.  If you have the means... I highly recommend it.  Keep in mind, though: the Zonda R wasn't even build with road legality in mind, so it is a track-only tool.