To me, Pagani is different. If any new-born supercar specialist is to succeed, it must be the Italian Pagani. You can see from the C12 and C12 S, which are well-finished enough to beat Ferrari in terms of build quality. They do not have the rough edges commonly found in other short-lived supercars. Now Pagani has delivered 4 C12 and 13 C12 S, at a supercar price yet there are at least another 25 firm orders to be fulfilled.  

What made Pagani succeed ? firstly, financial stability. Before expanding into supercar business, Pagani is already a successful composite parts manufacturer, which supplies many other supercars and race cars. Secondly, engineering talents and quality control know-how. The composite factory provides engineering and manufacturing support, supplying carbon-fiber chassis and panels to the Zondas supercars. Thirdly, good location. The car factory is in Modena, the global capital of supercars. Nowhere could be more convenient for sourcing high-quality sports car components. Fourthly, relationship. Pagani secured supply of powerful V12 engines from Mercedes AMG, without needing to develop its own (too costly) or compromising with American V8s (too rough). Other rivals can only dream of that. Lastly but not least, determination. Boss Horacio Pagani not only has deep passion about supercars but also a serious manner to polish his cars until perfect. 

Both Zonda C12 or C12 S have stunning good look which are penned by Horacio Pagani himself. For your information, Mr. Pagani is the one who styled the 25 Aniversary edition of Lamborghini Countach. Yes, this is a real supercar shape - futuristic, imaginative and aggressive. The wedge front end and bubble glass cockpit are not unlike endurance racing cars. The split rear spoilers in C12 S (in contrast to the C12's conventional one-piece wing) are unique and beautiful. The jet-engine-like exhaust pipes are even the car's trademark. It set every viewer on fire. Facing the Zondas, Lamborghini Diablo and all Ferraris seemed barely warm. Simultaneously, you'll find Pagani's cars are artistically styled and carefully crafted like the pre-war Bugatti. You can feel the heart and soul put inside the car. Pagani's customers must be laughing at those buying the cheap-looking and raw-feeling Mercedes CLK-GTR at 1.1 million pounds. They paid a quarter of that to get a real high-quality supercar. 

The cockpit is concept-car-like, covering with colourful leather, aluminium and carbon fiber, the latter is the most obvious evidence of carbon-fiber chassis. It might not employ as many carbon-fiber as McLaren F1, especially for load bearing, but the whole cockpit is a carbon fiber survival cell, not just chassis tub. Load bearing is more conventional - tubular steel frames mount the suspensions and powertrain. This is less rigid than McLaren or F50 but reduce the vibration transmitting to cockpit a lot. Unsurprisingly, suspensions are all double-wishbones for optimum control. Aluminium control arms hold 18-inch wheels wearing wide rubbers. As a whole, the car tips the scale at just 1250 kg (dry weight), at least 200 kg lighter than the stripped-out Diablo GT, thus benefit acceleration, handling and braking a lot.  

<< C12 S 

What separate C12 and C12 S ? apart from the slightly different nose and rear wing, they look nearly identical. Open the engine lid will see the real difference: the warmer C12 is powered by a standard Mercedes V12. It is not today's 5.8-litre unit, but the older and more powerful dohc 4-valve unit displacing 6.0 litres. Without any modifications, it outputs a healthy 394 hp, enabling the Zonda a 911 Turbo-matching performance.  

C12 S is hotter and newer, powered by an AMG-enhanced 7.0-litre version of the dohc V12, pumping out a strong 550 horsepower and 553 lbft of torque. The engine is similar to the ones using in SL73 AMG and CLK-GTR, being tuned to somewhere between them. Compare with McLaren F1’s V12, the AMG mega engine is less revvy - it delivers maximum power at just 5,550 rpm - and less responsive to throttle action. However, the extra cubic inches give it tremendous torque, pulling the car strongly from 1,000 rpm at top gear. Engine noise is always loud, if not very characterful. It becomes increasingly deep and intensive as rev rise, especially since 4,500 rpm. Flat out, the C12 S can reach 60 mph in 3.5 sec and top 210 mph, beating all supercars on sale today (admittedly, not many left today) and even the mighty XJ220, EB110, F40 and F50. Only the F1 is comfortably ahead of the Zonda, while the heavier CLK-GTR is also likely to be beaten. It feels really that quick, thanks to low inertia and strong torque, acceleration is always astonishing. 

Like the best sorted supercars, Zonda’s shape is the outcome of wind tunnel testing. Deep chin spoiler, rear wing and rear diffuser contribute to 500 kg of downforce at 185 mph, and it is distributed to match weight distribution too. Therefore high speed stability is a strong card to Zonda.  

How does it handle? early impression is remarkable. Most controls are well tuned: steering feels sharp and communicative, with least power assistance to meet basic demand; AP twin-plate clutch has a heavy pedal but so do all traditional Italian supercars; self-made 6-speed manual transmission shifts precisely; long throttle travel allows more precise control of torque, so no afraid of spinning the rear wheels accidentally. Pushing to the extreme remains a question because I have yet to see a test report did so. However, judging from the suspension and tyres, and the precision of controls displayed at low speed, there is no reason to doubt its all-out handling. 

Is there any flaws? yes, I can criticise it as lack of innovation. Basically, its chassis is not the most advanced; the AMG V12 is conservative (no VVT and drive-by-wire throttles, remember); the cockpit is race-car narrow .... apart from styling, the Zonda stuns us far less than F1, EB110, 959 and F40 ever did. 
 

C12 S 7.3

Anyway, Pagani didn’t revise the performance claim of 220mph top speed and 0-60mph of 3.7 seconds. The latter has been proved by Autocar’s test. The magazine also recorded 0-100mph in 7.4 seconds. This places Zonda in the middle rank among the all-time greats - faster than F40, F50, EB110 and XJ220, but slower than McLaren F1, 911GT1 and probably Mercedes CLK GTR.

However, Autocar was impressed by the usability of the Zonda, describing it as a far better road car than McLaren F1. Its suspensions have an unusually long travel and are tuned to deliver suppleness, thus providing the best ride quality among supercars. So remarkable that it can be even used as a long distance GT. Wide body and grippy tyres provide great chassis balance. Even in wet condition, the standard traction control (a new item comes with the AMG 7.3 V12) ensures the tremendous torque does not result in dramatic wheelspin. 

Zonda might not corner as agile as Bugatti EB110, because it is wide and lack of 4-wheel-drive traction. But compare with other supercars it is easy to control and live with. Great all-round visibility, manageable controls weighting and the aforementioned well-mannered handling make it the best supercar today. 

Tomorrow? just watch out Ferrari Enzo!