Frankfurt 2009: Up close and personal with the sensational Pagani Zonda R
by Noah Joseph on Sep 21st 2009 at 1:01PM 
Pagani Zonda R - Click above for high-res image gallery
A diamond in the rough? We'd hardly consider the plethora of exciting new vehicle debuts and revolutionary concept cars that is the currently ongoing Frankfurt Motor Show as "rough." But behind the Tesla and Mansory show stands in the Messe – that's the German name for the exhibition grounds, not a critique of its tidiness – we stumbled upon a real jewel of carbon fiber and exhaust tubing. Pagani calls it the Zonda R, and it was on display courtesy of the Italian exotic automaker's German distributor.
The ultimate incarnation of the eminently desirable supercar, itself due to be replaced shortly, the $1.8 million track-only Zonda R was unveiled back in February, but this was as close as we've gotten to the vehicle in the carbon yet. It costs about $1.8 million, is constructed out of a carbon-titanium weave, packs 739 horsepower and features Pagani's first sequential gearbox, delivering extreme performance, with a 0-60 mph run of three seconds flat and a 233 mph top end.
Pagani Deutschland had the Zonda R on display with the engine cover removed, and with good reason: the engine bay – really everything aft of the bulkhead – is a beautifully sculpted masterpiece of mechanical engineering, from the 6.0-liter hand-built Mercedes AMG V12 to the inboard F1-style shocks. Unfortunately, the comparatively small display of a local distributor (as opposed to an independent automaker) meant that we couldn't get the kind of beauty shots to which we'd hope you've become accustomed by now, but trust us when we say that in this case, you can bet the devil's in the details. Have a closer look in the gallery below.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
petee209 1:04PM (9/21/2009)
IMO one of the sexiest cars of all time.
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zamafir 1:17PM (9/21/2009)
agreed, 100%, right up there with the McLaren F1
Azael 1:54PM (9/21/2009)
You dont need beautiful models to sexy up this car, this Zonda can do it all.
MaX PL 2:01PM (9/21/2009)
Pagani Zonda is the only true supercar as far as I'm concerned. Sexiest thing imaginable.
Ligor 2:17PM (9/21/2009)
+1
I still can't believe this car is street legal
I love it
Visnick 2:28PM (9/21/2009)
+1
Only other car that can be mentioned in the same breath as the McLaren F1
I would give my un-born children for one of those
Santosh Tiwari 1:14PM (9/21/2009)
For a moment, I thought, why the back looks awkward. Then I realized that it does not have the body panels on it.
My favorite super car.
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Venom 1:16PM (9/21/2009)
This is hot but where are all these manufacturers coming with all of these million dollar plus prices all of a sudden.
I really feel they are just trying to take advantage now and see how much they can get away with charging fools. There is absolutely no way these cars remotely cost anywhere near that to build.
For $2 million I can go and buy a 12,000 plus square foot mansion with an indoor pool and basketball court in a gated neighborhood with 3 acres and an elevator, a theater and 2 kitchens. How on Earth does a car cost the same?
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Stumpy 1:20PM (9/21/2009)
If I had $2 Million. I would live in a cardboard box, with my Zonda R parked next to it.
inv4zn 1:23PM (9/21/2009)
@ Stumpy
You're going to need more than $2 mil if you want to keep the thing running, and insured...lol.
Probably some more for when you plough into someone's house and break your back in the process =p
zamafir 1:33PM (9/21/2009)
The same reason you can purchase a limited run watch for over $100,000. Pagani does it like no other and does it in limited production for his 'typical' cars. Numbers far fewer than ferrari would attempt today. Thus his cars are going to be naturally more expensive as he's relying on a dozen to two dozen a year to cover all the costs associated with his car business. Factor in the sales figures for the Veyron and Aston's estimated run for the One77 and it becomes even more abundantly obvious why he'd charge so much for something which is truly rare in the car world.
letstakeawalk 1:46PM (9/21/2009)
"For $2 million I can go and buy a 12,000 plus square foot mansion with an indoor pool and basketball court in a gated neighborhood with 3 acres and an elevator, a theater and 2 kitchens.
You must live somewhere where residential property is very cheap. Where I live, that $2M would get you into a medium-sized 2-bedroom condo.
That's how the free market works. I live where people have lots of money (even though I don't), and where they are willing to pay a premium price to live. Zonda can charge as much as they want, because they know that there is a customer who will pay that price to own such a desirable car.
MaX PL 2:07PM (9/21/2009)
because the guy driving a Pagani Zonda R or any $2 million supercar, that guy is living in a $50 million dollar home.
$2 million dollar homes are for chumps.
Visnick 2:25PM (9/21/2009)
Seriously man where do you live
Venom 2:36PM (9/21/2009)
Visnick,
I am in Michigan.
Actually you can buy my neighbors house that is 10,000 square feet including the basement, Scholz designed, 4 floors, 2 kitchens, 4 fireplaces, 5 balconies, wine cellar, dance floor/night club, massive cherry paneled library, conservatory, all granite, 2 staircases, 5 jacuzzis, all brick, 7 bedrooms, sauna, steam shower and much more for $1.3 million. It even has a staff wing with 2 bedrooms that can be locked off from the main house section.
letstakeawalk 3:01PM (9/21/2009)
"I am in Michigan."
Ah, that explains it. Unless you live along the lakes, your property cost is well below the national average. $2M goes a LOT further up there than it does in most areas. Imagine what $2M would buy in downtown Detroit (what, like several square blocks?).
Around here, the estate you describe would likely be in the $20M dollar range.
Venom 3:07PM (9/21/2009)
Let's take a walk,
Sadly I don't live on the lake.
I only have a one acre lot with a one acre pond with a waterfall in the back and a five acre pond with a couple of fountains to the front of me:) I will survive somehow.
No one lives in downtown Detroit.
Come to Bloomfield Hills and go to Turtle Lake Farms and see what you can buy there if you think Michigan is so cheap.
Visnick 3:10PM (9/21/2009)
Damn that's cheap!
I live in Boston which tends to be on the expensive side.
letstakeawalk 3:34PM (9/21/2009)
Sorry Venom, I didn't mean to cause any offense.
It's just the simple truth though, land in Michigan is much cheaper than in many other areas.
"No one lives in downtown Detroit." That's exactly my point. Land in an undesirable area is undesirable, so the market price reflects that.
The Zonda is a very desirable car, made in very limited quantities. The Zonda's market price reflects that as well.
"I really feel they are just trying to take advantage now and see how much they can get away with charging fools. There is absolutely no way these cars remotely cost anywhere near that to build."
You are certainly entitled to your opinion, but calling the buyers (and who commenting here wouldn't buy one if we could) "fools" is just insulting and shows little concept of how the market works. Sure, not every buyer of the Zonda is an intellectual genius, but they know what they want, and can afford to buy it. The production cost of the Zonda is irrelevant; it is a case of where the value of the whole is greater than the sum of the parts.
Imagine if you went to an auction to buy the Mona Lisa, and then complained that it wasn't worth $$$$ because it was only about $20 worth of paint on $5 worth of canvas. You'd be laughed out of the place for not understanding the difference between cost and value. The Zonda is a work of automotive art...
Venom 3:47PM (9/21/2009)
Letstakeawalk,
I only have 3 business degrees including an MBA from a Top 20 university so clearly I know nothing as you say, your greatness.
I never said the Zonda is not great and beautiful, I merely said that the price for it is a scam. Comparing it to the Mona Lisa is a bit of a stretch, don't you think? Personally I do think that people that pay ridiculous sums of money for art are fools. A reproduction Mona Lisa looks just like the real thing so what is the difference.
All the arrogant Hamptons and Palm Beach dwellers and so on are reeling with massive multi-million dollar losses on their properties, art and cars because the bottom fell out of the market.
Meanwhile the not so smart guys like myself paid their house off and their cars off. If my house went down 30% I don't care because it is paid off. My day does not change from the day before.
You are one of those guys that defines your self worth by art and other nonsense. One of the guys in my hall in college had so much money that he had a Picasso hanging in his dorm room. It was real and no one cared or even tried to steal it.