As you would expect, you sit low in the Zonda F, but access is easier than in some other exotic cars. First, you adjust the steering wheel, for height and rake, and notice that as you do so the instrument binnacle moves up and down with the column. This is the best solution as it ensures you can see the instruments whatever your height. Not many cars have it.
The instruments are unique to Pagani, neat and clear and inside an aluminum housing. You look ahead and see the large fenders which help you position this wide car. Adjustment of the seats is normal enough apart from the knob in the seat cushion itself you use to adjust the height. You are conscious of sitting between deep sills and a wide center tunnel.
Engine explodes into life
Now you're comfortable, you switch on the ignition and press the knob recessed into the top of the gear lever to start the engine. The Mercedes-Benz AMG V-12 doesn't so much start as explode into life, and you can feel the power even when stationary with the engine idling.
However, it is super-smooth as you expect from a 60-degree V-12. The noise is full of excitement, but not a trace of vibration comes through to the cockpit.
Next you slot into first gear of the six-speed Cima gearbox and you are off, trundling out onto the street with this raucous exhaust behind you - this has got to be the nearest thing to being in a sports-racing car being driven to the start of Rheims or Le Mans as used to happen years ago.
Out onto the open road, albeit fairly narrow ones near Bologna in Italy, and you put your foot down. The reaction is electrifying as the Zonda F jumps forward as if in a catapult, and you are pressed back into the well-fitting seat. Ease off for a corner, don't bother to shift down, and then back onto the throttle.
Instant response at any speed
Again the car leaps forward, and you soon realise that instant response is what the Zonda F is all about - no waiting for the engine to come on the cams, no waiting for the turbo to come in, just instant, neck-snapping acceleration - obviously stronger in the lower gears.
And when I say response, I don't mean that the revs build up and then you realise you are motoring. No, I mean you get a kick in the back - just a few stabs at the throttle and before you know where you are, you are doing 90 mph. Phenomenal acceleration!. But that is not all; if you need to, you can cruise along at a low speed at low revs.
The power output of 602 bhp is just part of it. The big V-12 churns out 560 lb ft (760 Nm) at 4,000 rpm, which is a huge amount - and remember this is not some heavy Mercedes sports car, but an ultra-light car, weighing just 2,710 lb (1,230 kg). For such a large engine and gearbox this is very light, and is part of the reason that car accelerates so quickly in any situation.
Very powerful carbon-ceramic brakes
Hang on long to any gear and before long there is a corner or the back of car getting very, very close - and this is where the carbon ceramic brakes come in, pulling you back to the speed you want. Another whiff of the throttle and the Zonda F catapults forward, thrusting you back, and soon you are into a corner. You point the Zonda F where you want and around it goes, cornering fast but flat as if on rails. You know that there is masses of cornering force left in those massive tires - well balanced to the weight distribution - which are capable of cornering the car at 1.5 g!
At high speed, the car is lowered automatically by 5 mm (0.2 in) to improve aerodynamics and cornering at 60 km/h (37 mph). You can also lower the car manually, and raise it to provide extra clearance such as when driving up a ramp into your garage.
The ride is firm, but not joggly or bumpy, soaking up poor surfaces pretty well. The seat was comfortable, with excellent lateral support, but I was not in the car long enough to know what it would be like on a long journey. [These impressions were gained from riding as a passsenger with the Pagani top test driver, and from close observation of static cars.]
Not just amazing performance
Is this car all about performance? Not a bit of it. Sure , the performance is extraordinary in any situation, but that is not all. First, it is beautifully finished, with many touches of hand-crafted items. For example, there is that glove pouch I mentioned. Then, each side of the engine, which itself is finished as if it were a work of art, is a carbon fiber container which can house a small fitted suitcase - or any other suitable bag. The leather trim is light and distinctive, and such a relief from the dreary black interiors so common on supercars, and little touches of distinction abound.
Why the Pagani Zonda is so fast, and has such cornering power
Pagani Zondas have built themselves a fine reputation as exquisitely built exotic cars that are extremely fast on any road, combining sheer power with great handling. Inspired by Juan Manuel Fangio, the brilliant racing driver, Horacio Pagani has always striven for perfection.
The performance of the Zonda F exotic car is outstanding: a top speed of 214 mph, the 0-60 mph rush in around 3.5 seconds, and 120 mph in well under 12 seconds. A very, very fast car.
Just to prove that the Zonda F is very fast, it has lapped the infamous Nurburgring in 7 minutes 32 seconds. That is the fastest lap time by a production car apart from a couple of very nimble sports-racing road cars. The Zonda F has also been driven round the
Top Gear track in the UK at 1 minute 18.4 seconds, beating the Maserati MC12 (1:18.9), and the Ferrari Enzo, (1:19.0)! It was during these trials that the Zonda F recorded lateral acceleration of 1.5 g regularly.
F for Fangio
The Pagani Zonda F exotic car moves on a step. Not surprising, then, that the F stands for Fangio, probably the most brilliant racing driver ever. Although visually very similar to the Zonda, and powered by the same basic engine, the new car has an AMG Mercedes-Benz 7.3 liter engine tuned to 602 bhp - up about 50 bhp over the Zonda 7.3 S.
The Zonda F differs in many subtle ways from the other Zondas. It is a little lower, and has a larger full-width rear wing and improved underfloor aerodynamics with diffusers to generate more downforce at speed. The tires and wheels are also larger to give more cornering power, and about 110 lb (50 kg)has been shaved off the weight.
Air intakes each side of the coachroof
The lines of the Zonda F is barely changed, with that wide, low air intake running across the full width of the short, sloping nose, and those tiny headlamps sitting on the front fenders like blisters. The coachroof is deliberately narrow - almost in the way light aircraft have narrow blister tops - and short. Each side there are a pair of air intakes for the engine, while there is also a low intake in each side of the car.
At the rear, the four exhaust pipes are grouped together in a circular outlet in the traditional Pagani manner, and almost all of the rest of the tail is one large air outlet to get the heat way. On top is the large wing.
Sumptuous cockpit right for an exotic car
Inside, there is a compact cockpit, with seats and controls that seem ideally placed. Of course, the interior can be tailored to suit individual customers. But the style is Pagani: a small instrument binnacle, machined from aluminum, sits in front of the wheel, there is an aluminum center console, and the air intakes have aluminum bezels.
The steering wheel itself, made by Nardi, is an object of perfection it itself. The wheel has aluminum spokes, a wooden rim with a flat section across the bottom. The part of the rim which you hold is shaped to fit your hands, and is trimmed in leather. Beautifully made in the Pagani style.
Very strong carbon fiber hull
As with all Zondas and several other exotic cars, the basis of the car is the carbon fiber hull. The hull comprises the cockpit and bulkheads to which steel tubular sub-frames are attached for the steering and front suspension at the front, and the suspension and power train at the rear.
Although carbon fiber is expensive, it is the ideal material for low volume production because the molds on which the hull is produced are cheap to produce compared with those for steel or aluminum pressings.
Carbon fiber produces a stiffer and lighter structure than metal, and the passenger compartment is immensely strong, providing protection for the driver and passenger. There is also an integral roll-over bar, which consists of a steel hoop as well as a carbon fiber molding. The front sub-frame is designed to absorb impact in a crash.
It is also a very safe structure which includes a steel/carbon composite roll-over bar. At the front and rear are high-strength steel sub-frames to carry the suspension and power train. These are light, and are designed to absorb impact in the event of a collision.
On the roadster, the roll hoops are integrated into the structure to increase stiffness, and extra downforce is provided because the shape of an open car generates more lift.
Superb AMG V-12 tailored for Pagani
AMG has modified the V-12, 48-valve engine mapping to increase power, and the intake and exhaust manifolds are beautifully hydroformed to shape to ensure smooth shapes with equal length pipes. Hydroforming is a technique where tubes can be formed to remarkable shapes using hydraulic pressure. The manifolds are one of the areas where the Pagani attention to detail is most evident.
In this form, the AMG engine develops 602 bhp at 6,150 rpm, with masses of torque at almost any speed. Peak torque of 560 lb ft (760 Nm) is produced at 4,000 rpm, but there is 480 lb ft available from 2,000 rpm right up to 6,500 rpm. That's a lot of torque, and remember, this is a very light car, thanks to the carbon fiber tub. Just to put that in perspective, the Ferrari F40, considered a really exotic car in its day, produced only 423 lb ft torque - max.
Ideal weight distribution, racing-type suspension
The engine drives through a Cima six-speed manual gearbox to the rear wheels, and the weight distribution is close to the ideal at 46% front and 54% rear. As on all the Zondas, the suspension is via rocker arms to almost horizontal spring/damper units. The Ohlins dampers are adjustable.
The arms of the double wishbone suspension are aluminum, and anti-roll bars are also used. The front suspension is designed to reduce dive under braking, and the rear suspension is designed to reduce squat under acceleration. Owing to the high g forces during braking and acceleration with such a powerful car, the reduction in pitching resulting from the anti-squat and anti-dive geometry improves the ride.
There is the option of carbon ceramic brakes, which give better performance and less weight, and these are 15 inches (380 mm) diameter front and rear. The standard discs are 15 inch diameter front, and 14 inch diameter rear, and in both cases there are six-pot front, and four-pot rear calipers. The brake system is supplied by Brembo.
At the front, the 19 inch wheels are shod with 255/35 Pirelli Pilot Sport 2 tires, and at the rear, there are 20 inch wheels with 335/30 tires.
Pagani has already proven that it can produce super high-performance exotic cars, and the Zonda F may not seem to be hugely different, but represents a further advance for this individualistic company. The car weighs in at 2,710 lb (1,230 kg), which gives a stunning power-to-weight ratio of 490 bhp per tonne. Very much in the top league of exotic cars.
