Pagani Zonda R 2009-2014

[McLareN]

Pagani Zonda R Revealed
World Debut at Geneva Motor Show
03/02/2007


While we certainly cannot say the Zonda F lacks performance figures, driving around the Nürburgring in 7:32 and achieving lateral G forces of almost 1.5 G, it is however a road car, easy to drive, intuitive and setting the benchmark for comfort, safety and lightweight. Paired with a quality finish and the attention to detail this made the Zonda F one of the most desirable supercars resulting in the 25 Coupé models being sold out in record time.

This did not seem to fulfil the requirements of our most demanding customers, who adore the weekend drive on a racetrack.

The spark has been set by an Italo-American customer, enthusiast and already proud owner of 3 Zondas. He describes the project this way: “The thought has been on my mind for quite some time, but I am not interested in racing”.

The Zonda R is born with full liberty. The target: the ultimate performance at the racetrack without any implications of rules, except for safety, where no compromise is allowed. In September 2006 the first drawings were ready, but it was crucial to have the support of Mercedes-AMG for a high revving engine with a power output of 750hp, dry sump, light and with a low centre of gravity. The basis was the self supporting engine of the mighty CLK GTR, which has dominated the GT championships.

Eve at constant racing pace the engine would have to cover over 5.000 km before servicing. The challenge has been accepted without hesitation.

The Zonda R is a car designed from scratch, with only 10% of the Zonda F components to be carried over. The suspension forged in Avional, a new Pagani six speed transversal sequential gearbox, carbon fibre monocoque, aeronautical four pump fuel tank are only part of the equation.

The wheelbase has grown by 47mm, the overall length by 394 mm and the track is increased by 50mm. The bodywork and aerodynamics have been studied to offer maximum downforce.

Even though built for the track, the project would not have received kick off, if the quality and finish of the car and its details was not up to the level of the Pagani road cars. One of the first cars to be delivered however will be kept in a living room, designed by Pagani and built with the same materials as the Zonda F, beautifully textured carbon fibre, avional, titanium, inconel and other state of the art materials. Additionally it will feature a bespoke HiFi´System that will allow the customer to listen to the sound of this car at Le Mans and the Nürburgring.

The Pagani customers who have ordered the Zonda R will be relieved of almost 1.2 million + taxes.

Technical Specifications - Zonda R

This Zonda is purpose made for track use, without restrictions of any competition rules or homologation, with the only exclusion of the passengers’ integrity, where no compromise is tolerated according to our philosophy and state-of-the-art safety measures are featured.

A new heart

The engine is built by the racing specialists at Mercedes AMG, where the championship winning DTM cars are born, as well as the CLK GTR, probably the most devastating and effective weapon ever to compete in the GT series. From it’s engine the Zonda R borrows the basic architecture including an ingenious dry sump allowing a low centre of gravity. This self-supporting engine with 750 hp at 8000 rpm and 710 Nm of torque carries a lightweight carbon fibre highperformance intake system, a racing multiple disc sintered clutch and Formula 1 style exhaust system, hydroformed in Inconel 625 and ceramic coated for optimal heat dissipation. The power unit combined with a 6 speed transversal manual sequential synchronised gearbox is designed to satisfy the most ambitious drivers.

The chassis

The central carbon chassis will incorporate a roll cage and a rubber racing fuel tank with 4 fuel pumps and quick refuel filler like on GT race cars. The wheelbase has been increased by 47mm to offer the best stability. The front and rear subframes are brand-new, built to accommodate a new suspension geometry, produced in avional. The magnesium forged rims with central wheel nut and a quick pneumatic lifting system allows fast and effortless changes of the slick tyres.

Bodywork and aerodynamics

The new bodywork has been honed to offer elevated downforce even in low speed corners. The longer front bonnet with flaps, closed underbody and the rear overhang with the adjustable rear wing and race derived diffusor translate into shattering aerodynamic efficiency and will let you experience cornering speeds beyond imagination.

The car displays and logs information about the amount of dowforce that the car is generating at each moment. Combined with the adjustable wings you can easily find the best setup for each track.

Workstation

The interior is designed to accommodate the driver and passenger in bespoke seats, built to offer the best support, when the G-forces from the vehicle dynamics come into question. The Digitek instrumentation provides the essential information and a sophisticated telemetry allows through a variety of sensors to monitor every single component of the car.

Pagani Zonda R #1:

[McLareN]

Pagani Zonda R #2:

[kigango123]

one heck of a machine, i wonder if it can beat the ferarri fxx

[bmwpower]

The design looks like overkill, they just took it too far and ruined it, look at the side profile...and comon, like a zonda F really needs more work..that's just crazy talk :p

[carsnut]

Though it might end up being faster than the FXX, It doesn't seem as useful. The FXX was used as a small part of research and development for future Ferrari road cars, while this is just a Zonda F on steriods.

[Ingolstadt]

I'm just wondering, since it's not road legal, why does the cockpit still needs to be that high? the driver should sit lower, more lean down. Since it couldn't be driven on the road.

[092326001]

The taillamps are awkward

[carsnut]

The taillamps are awkward

They sort of hint the "boomerang" taillights on the Maserati 3200 GT :rolleyes:

[Dantera22B]

well if you're looking for the epitome in supercar excess it seems that more and more often these days, pagani are the marque to go to. macho in extremis, I love it.

[LeonOfTheDead]

new images and an updated press release, but don't expect too much

the car seems to have been slightly modified since its first "appearance", and the engine now should be the same 7.3 liter of the Zonda F tuned to 750 hp, so the 6.0 liter of the MB CLK-GTR would have been dismissed.

[fisetdavid26]

Both are very sexy.

[LeonOfTheDead]

I'm a little afraid, they are involved in different projects at the same time, something unusual for their small factory: the R, the Cinque, the new C9 and even the new facility. hope everything will be fine, and soon. I want a new super sexy exotic car to droll all over.

[Ferrer]

The epitome of the italian supercar.

Fantastic.

[Ecnelis]

the engine now should be the same 7.3 liter of the Zonda F tuned to 750 hp, so the 6.0 liter of the MB CLK-GTR would have been dismissed.
Press release says it will be 6,0 liter V12. ;)

[LeonOfTheDead]

Press release says it will be 6,0 liter V12. ;)

I read it, but some sites are claiming the 7.3 liter as the real candidate :)

[faksta]

We had a 7.3 CLK GTR too, so anyway you may say it is a CLK GTR engine :)

[clutch-monkey]

so it's still a V12? so glad they dropped the idea of the supercharged V8.

[Ferrer]

so it's still a V12? so glad they dropped the idea of the supercharged V8.
They haven't dropped it yet. This is still a Zonda and all Zondas have been powered by versions of Daimler's M120 V12 engine.

For the C9, who knows...

[LeonOfTheDead]

We had a 7.3 CLK GTR too, so anyway you may say it is a CLK GTR engine :)

I meant the race car, but maybe you are right, they could use the CLK GTR road car's engine in the SS set-up :)

[LeonOfTheDead]

First hi-res images I found of the actual car
the front is quite Toyota GT-one-ish

[Ferrer]

I think the've fiddled with it so much they've actually made ugly.

Time to move on.

[LeonOfTheDead]

I think the've fiddled with it so much they've actually made ugly.

Time to move on.

yeah, the F was already a very busy iteration of the first C12, this is simply heavy on the eye. It's quite aggressive and mean, in a good way, but definitely "too much" comes to mind.
I hope the next C9 will be quite different from the Zonda series.

[LeonOfTheDead]

some more images snapped from the intarwobz

[ErWin76]

Few pics of Zonda R.

[Sledgehammer]

RPM meter on the steering wheel. That doesnt make sense to me. Turn the wheel and your RPM's will seem to change. Unless they did what the Citroen did and that would make even less sense.

[Wouter Melissen]

RPM meter on the steering wheel. That doesnt make sense to me. Turn the wheel and your RPM's will seem to change. Unless they did what the Citroen did and that would make even less sense.

I would think that the center does not move.

[Sledgehammer]

I would think that the center does not move.

Then make sure to know what your doing when you downshift while turning left. Surely that plastic insert with Pagoni on it moves?

[Sledgehammer]

(from Pagani Press Release) Zonda R



A Pagani Zonda is never shy of a drive at the racetrack, a fact that was undermined numerous times in the past with records for production vehicles at the Nurburgring Nordschleife. With the input of its avid track focused customers, the Pagani team has created the Zonda R using bespoke engineering solutions to meet the performance demands for a trackday version of the highly popular Zonda F.

The central monocoque is made of a Carbon-Titanium composite, increasing rigidity while reducing significantly the weight. Bolted directly to the chassis is the Mercedes AMG 6.0 litre race derived V12 engine, with 750 hp and 710 Nm of torque. A direct throttle actuation via mechanical cable ensures immediate throttle response.

The Xtrac Magnesium cased dog ring gearbox combined with tha Automac Engineering AMT system performs gearshifts in 20ms, triggered by the drivers input on the paddles behind the steering wheel. A 12-way Bosch Motorsport traction control and ABS system allows the driver to fully adjust the settings while driving the Zonda R.

At the pits, each driver will be able to find a suitable setup thanks to a fully adjustable suspension and wing configuration. The effectiveness of the rear is matched by a complex new front bonnet, a masterpiece realised with the help of models by Ennegi, as well as the closed underbody and rear diffusor. Aerodynamic setups rage from a high downforce setting of 1.500kg to a 350kmh top speed setting.

Aspa forged AvionAl suspension components as well as machined structural ErgAl parts holding the engine and gearbox have been designed to reduce the weight of the overall car, Poggipolini Titanium screws are used on the whole car. These measures lead to a dry weight of 1,070 kg.

The interior has been designed to offer a perfect environment for the driver. The controls are limited to the indispensable, but the quality finish reflects the usual demanding Pagani standards. The bespoke Toora seats are FIA homologated and comply to latest HANS standards, five-point safety belts and a CrMo roll-cage assure the occupants’ safety.

The lucky owners of the Zonda R will experience a level of performance on the track, that is simply not possible on the road. A power-to-weight ratio of 701 hp-per-ton will catapult them from 0 to 60 mph in less than 2,7 seconds, the Brembo carbon ceramic brakes ensure the car comes to a standstill even quicker.

The Zonda R is built in a limited production run and sold at a price of 1.460.000 Euro plus taxes, a performance machine, a track toy, a collectors item, a masterpiece signed by Horacio Pagani.

Pagoni Zonda R #7 - Not true high-res but better.

[Sledgehammer]

Pagoni Zonda R #8

[Sledgehammer]

Pagoni Zonda R #9

[LeonOfTheDead]

new stuff :D

From the presentation speech of the unveiling of the car:


Dear Friends,
Welcome to you all.
Thanks for being here tonight for the official presentation of the Zonda R.
I wish to share with you some moments of amusement and relax, during which
we will tell about the new Zonda R and the other projects Pagani is currently
developing, bringing to you my ideas and my dreams.
We are all aware of the fact that the Zonda R is a toy, one of those toys which
made us happy when we were kids, encouraging our fantasy and dreams, bringing
our mind to an ideal world. It is important to follow this childish feeling inside,
and still enjoy these toys, more or less expensive, along all phases of life.
The Zonda R is a completely new project, the result of more than 2 years work
and the introduction of 2.100 brand new components. For Pagani it represents
the ideal environment to test new solutions for the future products. Prestigious
technical partners have teamed up with Pagani in the development of this
demanding project. Among them, the AMG, Aspa, Automac, Bagatti, Bosch,
Ennegi, Pirelli, Poggipolini, Xtrac, highly qualified professionals pushed by a strong
motivation. I am deeply thankful to all of them.
The project “Fangio”, later renamed “Zonda”, from a technical and stylistic point
of view was inspired by the group C prototype, when the design was not imposed
by aerodynamic restrictions. You might remember, the Sauber Mercedes C11, the
Peugeot 905, the Jaguar XJR-8, as also the older Ferrari P4, and Porsche 917,
all beautiful cars which influenced the design of sport cars.
Some years ago in Les Mans, I had the chance to admire one of the most attractive
cars of the last decade, the Bentley EXP Speed 8, from that moment I began to
wonder about the Zonda R. After that, I was speaking to a friend and customer
and he convinced me to think this was the right idea and to go on in the project.
The Zonda R is designed out of pure creativity, free from road or homologation
limitations. Each individual involved in the realisation was able to express his own
talents and arts, according to the tradition of the ancient masters of the Renaissance.
The first concepts and ideas of the car were discussed within my design team at
the factory, then we forward the request to AMG to supply a high performance
engine according to our technical specifics. Both the AMG confirmed their
commitment in this new challenge, and in short time we had the first mock-up
engine, which we brought to Geneva on the Pagani stand together with a scale
model of the Zonda R. Honestly, I was not sure there were people who would
invest such a high amount for a Pagani racing car, with luck these thoughts have
been denied and in only few months already 9 orders were confirmed. Since that
moment we thought the project was perhaps too crazy, but in fact there are
customers that are even crazier!
And for them we concentrated all our energies.
The first concept planned to use some parts of the Zonda F, and the look was not
as extreme as it is now, both for technology employed and dynamic, in fact after
3 months we thrown all away and restarted from zero.
Horacio Pagani

[LeonOfTheDead]

second part of the speech


Technical Description
The chassis is in carbon titanium, for the first time in the automotive history these two
materials have been combined to form a monocoque. The combination allowed us to
build a rigid frame that remained safe in a crash, 25kg lighter than on a Zonda F. The
suspension components are forged Avional parts, technologies lifted from the aerospace
industry. This allowed us to safe 30 % in weight while maintaining the mechanical
characteristics.
The engine is fantastic as are all AMG engines, 750 hp and 710 Nm of torque.
The engine drivetrain is bolted directly to the chassis, becoming stressed member. The
interface components between the suspensions, gearbox and engine are machined out
of a block. They start out as a 75kg block, to become the weight optimised 12kg parts. To
the company Aspa go the credits for these masterpieces.
Many components on the car are in Titanium and they are made by the world leader
in the performance automotive sector, Poggipolini Titanium.
The gearbox is a sequential straight cut Xtrac box in Magnesium casing. The robotisation
is performed by Automac Engineering, allowing shift times as low as 20ms.
The research of lightness is not only an aim for us, it is an obsession. Each part is
engineered with three objectives, to be functional, to be beautiful and to be light. We
did not accept compromises regarding costs, as we firmly believe that the few fortunates
being able to own this car deserve only the best. The toolings to make the Zonda R are
completely new and would allow to build the parts for a production run of 300, but the
total number is limited to 15 units. The companies ENNEGI and Bagatti have machined
the models on Pagani CAD data to create the moulds for the new components.
The aerodynamic research was focused on three aspects, the general function and shape
of the exterior, the internal aerodynamics and the microaerodynamics, the research in
the smallest detail
Our target dry weight was 1.120kg, but in the end we managed to reach 1.070kg
without compromising the safety requirements set out at the beginning of the project.
The front frame has energy absorbing elements that are similar to the upcoming C9.
At the 56 kph rigid barrier crash tests, the behaviour is comfortably within the legal
requirements.
As far as the tyres are concerned I would like to emphasise the work of Pirelli, our partner
for over a year now. Developing bespoke slick tyres for the Zonda R has been a tough
challenge for the dimensions we were seeking.

[LeonOfTheDead]

moar pics of the details

[LeonOfTheDead]

this car is all about details

[LeonOfTheDead]

guess what? astonishing details

[LeonOfTheDead]

and even more even better details

[LeonOfTheDead]

last ones

[LeonOfTheDead]

hi-res images of the first test at Monza race track

[electrao]

that´s brilliant, beautiful and perfect !! (car and the pics as well :P)

[f6fhellcat13]

As they say; "Do. Want."

[LTSmash]

Utterly stunning.

But two very disappointing things about it; where's the third pedal and the gear lever? Paddles don't cut it in a GT.

[LeonOfTheDead]

Utterly stunning.

But two very disappointing things about it; where's the third pedal and the gear lever? Paddles don't cut it in a GT.

I can't remember for sure which was the last Gt racer with a manual.
besides, this is a real sequential, while the Cinque will have another manual with gizmo add-ons.

[LTSmash]

I can't remember for sure which was the last Gt racer with a manual.
besides, this is a real sequential, while the Cinque will have another manual with gizmo add-ons.

I'm talking like the gearbox in the DBR9 or the RSR, etc.

[LeonOfTheDead]

I'm talking like the gearbox in the DBR9 or the RSR, etc.

they all are sequentials.

EDIT: POrsche used a manual in the first 996 GT3 RS racing car, but quickly realized the superiority of the other contender, the 360 GT and its sequential gearbox (a real sequential, not the F1 transmission).

[LTSmash]

they all are sequentials.

EDIT: POrsche used a manual in the first 996 GT3 RS racing car, but quickly realized the superiority of the other contender, the 360 GT and its sequential gearbox (a real sequential, not the F1 transmission).

Leon (or anyone who knows) help with this, I'm a dumb-ass when it comes to understanding these types of things. But this is part of the reason I joined the site, to learn more about autos and racing.

I've been under the impression that a sequential gearbox has the back-forth movement of the gear lever and a clutch pedal that needs to be pressed for gear changes (hence I brought up the DBR9 and RSR in a former post). It's basically the same as a manual without the H pattern; this is what I've always thought them to be, however I could be wrong.

How is the Zonda R a true sequential if there is no clutch pedal. I'm obviously missing something here.

[clutch-monkey]

i thought any gearbox where the gears change in order (well..sequentially/no H pattern) was considered a sequential gearbox, either clutchless sequential or the more race-type sequential with a clutch.
auto's with paddles not included of course

[LeonOfTheDead]

Leon (or anyone who knows) help with this, I'm a dumb-ass when it comes to understanding these types of things. But this is part of the reason I joined the site, to learn more about autos and racing.

I've been under the impression that a sequential gearbox has the back-forth movement of the gear lever and a clutch pedal that needs to be pressed for gear changes (hence I brought up the DBR9 and RSR in a former post). It's basically the same as a manual without the H pattern; this is what I've always thought them to be, however I could be wrong.

How is the Zonda R a true sequential if there is no clutch pedal. I'm obviously missing something here.

my technical knowledge about gearboxes is limited at the moment (attending a specific course next year), but here is what I know.
the specific construction of a sequential gearbox allow gears to be engaged only in their respective orders (as clutch said), but with a much faster engagement than that of a manual. A clutch, with the respective pedal, is supposed to be sued during changes, but it's actually used only when the car starts moving, engaging the first gear. Even in endurance races, like the 24h of Le Mans or Spa, drivers never use the clutch if not at the pit stops, but iirc some of them, maybe those with a very gentle foot or a good trust in their gearboxes, don't use the clutch at all.
therefore, since its use is quite limited, I suppose it could be automatically engaged and disengaged by an hydraulic mechanism, as in the first clutch-less gearbox available in the first gen Mercedes-Benz A-Klasse, where the gears were still manually engaged by the driver with the usual gear shifter, but the clutch (and only the clutch) was operated by the ECU and a hydraulic mechanism.
I don't know if any race car automated the clutch as in this case, since I bet the stress generated during an endurance race would require its use to preserve the gearbox.
my 2 guesstimatedcents.

[LTSmash]

Thank you both Leon and Clutch. :)

[LeonOfTheDead]

some more images, mainly to show the new rear wing, from autoblog.it

[LeonOfTheDead]

more, same source

[LeonOfTheDead]

same as above

[LeonOfTheDead]

no moar.
astonishing car. I understand why one of the customers will put his in the living room instead of the garage.

[RacingManiac]

As said in another thread else where, the proper sequential gearboxes are built to motorcycle type actuation, where shift forks are actuated by a barrel with notches cut into the outer surface of it. The barrel is actuated by a ratchet type of action, as in every push or pull it rotates some fixed amount one way or the other, shuffling the needed shift fork for that gear into engaging the dog ring and transmit the drive, and the other forks disengages. This type of box can only move in the true "sequential" action 1-2-3-4-5 in single gear increament. As mentioned also in another thread, most production SMG type system are likely NOT a gearbox in that type of sequential arrangement, mainly because of cost of production. Not that it is more expensive, just more inventory needs to be stock. Rather, what company does is to make a electro-hydralic system that actuates conventional H-gate mechanism, which is usually consists of shafts and linkages, and the addon unit is applied to the normal gearbox and sold as SMG. Saves time and money for developing the internal of the gearbox.

Clutch engagement is controlled completely seperate. You can have have regular foot clutch(or hand clutch, in the case of a bike) with a sequential box, or you can have no foot clutch on a H-gate(as in the previously mentioned A-class and I believe Alfa before Selespeed came out). SMG type boxes usually have computer controlled clutch because since the idea is to maximize shift speed, the computer can just take over the control of that and optimizes the clutch engagement point. I have a feeling that most SMG probably don't use clutch at fastest shift mode on the upshift, they might just adopte the control strategy of some racing ECU/Transmission control in that it cuts ignition for a fraction of time(basically achieving lift-off the gas) and shift into the next gear. Which is probably why most reviewers tend to say the full throttle upshift on those boxes are jerky. I think most racing sequential boxes does not actually have a clutch control, they might have ignition cut functionality(which is usually a microswitch in the shifting mechanism), but not actual clutch control like on SMG/F1/LMP type gearboxes. But the drivers learn from lower rank that you need to match revs on downshift anyway, so all you really do is blip the throttle as you push the stick for downshift, since when you are down shifting the box should be unloaded because you are under braking or at least coasting to a slower speed. Where as upshift you need the box to be unloaded intentionally(thus the ignition cut).

BTW, you can do clutchless shift in regular car, you just need to match the revs properly on downshift and lift on upshift, just its probably not recommanded because most people can't do it consistantly enough....

[Ferrer]

(as in the previously mentioned A-class and I believe Alfa before Selespeed came out)
That was called the Q-System and it was actually a 4 speed conventional torque converter automatic in which the manual mode had an H-gate instead of a "sequential" shift. It was available at the same time as the Selespeed, but only in the 156 2.5 V6 24v, AFAIK.

Saab did have H-gate manual with an automated clutch. It was called Sensonic I think and was available in the NG-series 900, but it was dropped becuse it proved unreliable.

[carreragt10]

YouTube - Pagani Zonda R - official commercial - HD1080p - by runimation studios

[Duell]

I think no one would be offended by 14 (4256x2832) Zonda R pictures :D
This one is #5 of the 15 made

[Duell]

Pagani Zonda R #11

[Duell]

Pagani Zonda R #12

[Man of Steel]

The ultimate in high-res pic's. Period.