Contents: Zonda Models / Huayra Models

Pagani Model List: Every Pagani, Every Year

Every Pagani Ever Made

In a workshop in Pagani's factory - a low-slung, nondescript facility in a grimy industrial estate between Modena and Bologna - there is always a hive of activity. Before that the factory was busy churning out the Pagani Zonda, his first supercar, a classic. The company was founded in 1992 by the Argentinian Horacio Pagani, and is based in San Cesario sul Panaro, near Modena, Italy. His progression is a story of a baker's son in Argentina to a smart young engineer seeking his fortune in Italy.

From humble roots in Argentina he was obsessed with cars from a young age. In 1983 he moved to Italy to pursue his dream of building a supercar, joining Lamborghini where he later built the Countach Evoluzione, a concept Lambo with heavy carbon fiber throughout. When Lamborghini refused to buy an autoclave it signaled the end of his career at Lamborghini. In 1991 he went out on his own with his own consultancy called Modena Design which still exists today. It is a firm focused on making carbon fiber composites for Formula One cars and clients like Daimler, Ferrari and Aprilia . Soon afterwards, in 1992 Pagani Automobili Modena was founded by Pagani. It took seven full years till the Zonda was ready.

In its first year, the Modena, Italy-based outfit started construction of a vehicle known internally as the "C8 Project." To the general public, Pagani would call its first car the "Fangio F1," inspired by five-time Argentinian Formula One champion Juan Manuel Fangio. But following Fangio's death in 1995, Pagani changed the vehicle's name to the Zonda C12. With Mercedes-Benz and Pagani agreeing to an engine partnership in 1994, in which every Pagani would use a German-built V12, the company was on the fast track to production. And in 1999, the first fully formed Pagani supercar showed its face to the general public. The Zonda C12 debuted at the Geneva Motor Show in 1999. It was an instant hit, a supercar that was unique and special and unlike any other supercar ever before it. While Pagani has only two models to its name so far (the Zonda and the Huayra) it has tweaked and improved the basic formula for its models over the years. Pagani has also been the master of creating individual models and one-offs, and you can see from the model list below, most of its variants are just that.

There is a third model coming, the Utopia, which is a amalgamation and evolution of both the Zonda and Huayra designs with a monstrous AMG twin turbo V12 providing over 850 HP. The nose of the car is distinctly Zonda-influenced, and the rear of the car features the active aerodynamic flaps of he Huayra on either side of the classic four-tip exhaust pipe. No ordering, production, or release date has been announced, but the rumblings around the internet suggest orders should open early on in 2024, with deliveries in 2025. This information is subject to change, as right now all there is to go on is one press release and rumors.

Pagani Huayra

The Pagani Huayra replaced the Zonda and it's highlights include its acceleration (ludicrous), traction (amazing), steering (old school wonderful), braking (immense) and its grip mid corner. Arguably the most exclusive, best looking, best driving supercar there has ever been. The body of the Huayra is once again a showcase of cutting edge automotive technology. The Huayra chassis has a new titanium laced secret. Already seen on the final Zondas, this 'Carbon-Titanium' tub is as strong as conventional carbon-fibre but the added titanium gives the structure some elasticity in one direction, making it less likely to crack on impact.

Just like the Zonda, the Huayra features an interior that is a pure work of art. It is a combination of the finest leathers and lightweight materials like carbon-fiber and brushed aluminum. Many of the details are exquisitely shaped, including the fact that ever nut and bolt on the Huayra has the Pagani insignia on it. You can see that the carbon weave runs in the same direction, even between the doors and body, that is just amazing. The cabin is a leather, carbon fiber and aluminum cocoon of obsession, just check out some of the images below for proof.

Thanks to the extensive use of lightweight materials and careful engineering, the completed Huayra tips the scales at just 1,350 kg and with over 750hp you are talking Veyron levels of performance and it is rear wheel drive, unlike the Veyron. The performance has been described by some automotive journalists as “violent is the best word to sum up a trip from 1500 to 6500 RPM” or “the engine is just phenomenally powerful, and when it’s delivering the full 737lp ft of torque, it scrambles your brain”. And the compliments keep coming; "Nothing will ever be the same again, not once you've experience the ferocious Pagani Huayra" and "a waver of turbo boost sneaks up from behind you, hooks its fingernails into your nostrils and pulls your head back hard". I guess Horatio Pagani did it again, he built another cracking supercar.

The Huayra features an incredible twin-turbo, 6.0-liter AMG sourced V12 engine delivering an impressive 730HP and 730lb-ft of torque. The Mercedes-AMG V12 is once again a completely custom unit built for Pagani, with an internal designation of M158. In order to produce the required power AMG opted to use forced induction, in this case using two turbos. One of the key areas of development was throttle control and reducing the notorious turbo-lag.

Huayra Model List. Every Huayra Ever Made.

Pagani Zonda

The Pagani Zonda is a delicious slice of car lust to come out of Italy and one of the most highly sought after supercars in the world. There have been no lack of Zonda variants since its debut in 1999 and just when we keep thinking production is over, Pagani shows us another one-off variant for a special client. Despite the number of variants, there have been less than 200 cars built and sold so this is a really rare supercar.

The Pagani is considered by many as a hard edged car with stupendous performance and handing out of this world. Many components of the Zonda have a minimalist beauty to them, such as leaving body panels in unfinished carbon-fiber, or leaving suspension and chassis components fully exposed, and the pieces of the instrumentation panel looks like jewels in some ornate setting. The attention to detail and craftsmanship is amazing, and you can really see that in the photos below.

It isn't just the interior and level of detail that make these cars special because the Zonda engines continue the madness. The Zonda S for examples uses a 7.0 L (427 cu in) AMG–tuned monster. It produces 540hp (400 kW) and the car can accelerate to 62 mph (100 km/h) in 3.7 secs, to 100 mph (160 km/h) in 7.5 secs and complete the quarter mile in 11.3 secs. Lateral acceleration on the skidpad is 1.18 g(11.6 m/s²), it can reach a top speed of 208 mph (335 km/h). Fast forward a few years to the release of the Zonda R and the V12 AMG power plant has 750 horsepower and the car hits 60mph in 2.7 seconds, with a maximum speed of 233mph.

To get a sense of how this company operates you need to hear the story behind the conception of the Zonda R. The Zonda F was a powerful enough car, a street-road version, which too, was a limited production run. But, one day, one of the customers who already owned several F models wondered what it would be like to have a track-version. You are getting a sense for how we see so many Zonda model variants. On January 2022, we were teased with shrouded images of what is purported to be the last ever Zonda to be made. Design Firm LMM Design released this information on their Instagram page ahead of a full reveal later this year. For now, all we know is that it is a Zonda 760 Series Roadster.

Zonda Model List. Every Zonda Ever Made.