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The AutoGuide News Blog is your source for breaking stories from the auto industry. Delivering news immediately, the AutoGuide Blog is constantly updated with the latest information, photos and video from manufacturers, auto shows, the aftermarket and professional racing.
 |  Apr 12, 11:32 AM

Horacio Pagani has never built a boring car in his life, starting as the designer of Lamborghinis and moving on to create his own over-the-top super car company, Pagani.  

A biography has been released by Pagani, celebrating the life and times of its founder, and showcasing his youth and how he came to be the creator of some amazing cars.

Born in 1955 in Argentina, Horacio Pagani had only early European car magazines for influence as a young boy. The man also idolized Leonardi Da Vinci and tried to replicate Da Vinci’s idea that art and science can be married into one practice.

At a young age, Pagani was already designing cars that had futuristic looks, and eventually went on to get his first work in the industry at Lamborghini.

The cars produced today by Pagani, such as the Huayra and Zonda, are the reality of the man’s dreams.

Watch the first video in the series here.

 |  Jun 14, 6:00 PM

The Pagani Zonda C12 7.3 Roadster is undoubtedly one of the most striking and desirable supercars on the planet. Most car enthusiasts would be willing to do just about anything to own one.

However, even we are not sure if we would want a pink one, but one such example exists and it is going on the auction block at the upcoming Goodwood Festival of Speed.

This particular example is a 2004 model, and it started out life colored yellow. Somewhere along the way, the owner decided to send it back to Pagani and modify it to Zonda F specifications.

That meant its engine is now producing 604-hp and thanks to its new exhaust, it sounds even better than it did before. It got faster too, since it is now capable of sprinting from 0-60 mph in 3.6 seconds, and onto a top speed of 214 mph.

All this is very commendable, but then the owner of this right-hand drive example decided to have it painted in salmon pink, or as the ad says, “Elvis Presley Cadillac Pink.” What was he thinking?

To be honest, the Zonda Roadster is such a beautiful car, it even manages to pull off this color well, but if we bought it, we’d be sending it back to Pagani to have it repainted.

If you are interested in this piece, you can place your bid on July 1st at the Bonhams Auction at the Goodwood Festival of Speed. We will do our best to keep you posted on who bought it and for how much.

[Source: GT Spirit]

 |  Jan 21, 5:55 PM

Oh, the humanity! Pagani’s Zonda supercar was one of the most heartbreakingly beautiful cars of all time, but a purported spy shot coming from a Spanish language car magazine shows the Pagani Huayra to be a catfish-mouthed monstrosity, with all manner of gills, bulging headlights and a snout that looks like its perpetually open.

Sure, the car will cost over $1 million, be limited to 20 units per year and produce absolutely blistering performance, but…that face! We just can’t get over it. Lesson to supercar makers – different doesn’t have to be ugly. Just look at the Ferrari FF.

[Source: Autoblog]

 |  Dec 16, 1:11 PM

The Christmas crunch is on, and if you’re still looking for a few more gifts to fill up your Santa sack, may we suggest the first Pagani Automobili Official Monograph.

A book you’ll never want to put down, the Pagani Automobili Official Monograph is stunning and huge, and covers the complete, rich history of Mr. Horacio Pagani and his creation, the Zonda. Its 228 full color pages cover the supercar’s inception right up to present day, from its beginnings to recent innovations. It also features complete technical data, breathtaking images and some fun facts you probably didn’t know.

You can order the Pagani Automobili Official Monograph at http://www.edizioniarteimmagine.it/.

[Source: Pagani]

 |  Nov 18, 11:59 AM

Pagani’s new C9 supercar will get an all-new, custom made AMG motor, according to a statement just released by the company. The bulletin states that

The engine of the Pagani C9 is not a derivative of the AMG V12 engine developed for the SL65 Black Series, nor is the AMG V12 engine in the SL65 Black Series derived from the engine AMG is currently developing for the Pagani C9.The cars are very different in their character and conception and the engine will reflect this in its technical characteristics and behavior. The engine in the Pagani C9 has been developed specifically for that application by Mercedes-AMG GmbH.

Pagani has previously used AMG V12s, specifically the rare, but not tailor-made 7.3L V12 that was featured in ultra-rare vehicles like the limited production SL63. With AMG moving to turbocharged powerplants and smaller V8s, it’s possible that the new C9 will continue using a naturally aspirated V12, one that would require low volume production by AMG. Pagani has been able to use AMG engines due to parent company Mercedes-Benz’s relationship with Juan Manuel Fangio, a long-time Mercedes driver.

 |  Oct 13, 2:42 PM

pagani-zonda-750-front-view.jpg

Pagani’s tradition of accepting commissions for custom made Zonda supercars doesn’t look like it’s stopping any time soon, and their latest creation, the Zonda 750, is either a cruel practical joke, or the machinations of an eccentric rich guy whose aesthetic sensibilities have gone off the deep end.

Aside from the awful paint job, the Zonda 750 gets a custom rear window, and possibly a horsepower bump from 678 to 750 horsepower. For now, we only have these concept draws to go by. Hopefully, that’s all we’ll ever see of this strange creation.

Gallery: Pagani Zonda 750

pagani-zonda-750-front-view.jpgpagani-zonda-750-rear-view.jpgpagani-zonda-750-side-view.jpg

[Source: Autoblog.it]

 |  Aug 17, 10:15 AM

As though the Ferrari 599XX isn’t mean enough looking, a few owners have decided to turn the car’s badass dial up to 11 with matte-gray and matte-black paint jobs. The photos were taken by Sevan Calians are from a private event at the world famous Paul Ricard circuit where owners were able to fully test the car’s 700-hp V12 engine and incredible aerodynamics.

Also of interest from the photos are two shots, the first showing what appears to be Horacio Pagani, and the second showing the Pagani Zonda R on track with the 599XX. What makes this so interesting is that Ferrari and Pagani have a bit of a rivalry going on right now, with Ferrari claiming a production-based Nürburgring record of 6:58, which was promptly annihilated by the Zonda R with a 6:47 time. It’s nice to see that the rivalry is a friendly one.

Check out plenty of pics of the matte-black and matte-gray 599XX at the links below.

[Source: Sevan Calians Flicker Photo Stream via  JonSibal]

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 |  Jun 08, 10:57 AM

Horacio Pagani, the namesake founder of Pagani Automobili, isn’t one to let a bit of bad weather spoil his fun. Every year, Pagani hosts an exclusive automotive parade for owners of his cars called “The Vanishing Point”, ostensibly named after the 1971 car chase film. This years event was a little damp and overcast, but that didn’t stop a nice collection of cars from coming out.

In attendance were a few Zondas, a Gulf-oil liveried Ford GT, a Mercedes-Benz SLS, a Ferrari Enzo and a Volkswagen Eurovan. Some less-than sporty luxury sedans also came out, including a Rolls-Royce Phantom, a Bentley Continental Flying Spur and a Lexus LS. Predictably, the drivers were largely of the silver-haired demographic, and their passengers were long-legged, attractive women a fraction of their age.

The video of the event is hardly the most professional, but the sound of multiple V12s bouncing off the stone walls of an Italian piazza will make up for the shaky visuals.

Hit the jump for more Italian supercar action

[Source: GTSpirit.com]

Continue Reading…

 |  Jun 02, 2:36 PM

The Pagani Zonda is an incredible car, the culmination of one man’s dream to build a supercar that would honor the legacy of Juan Manuel Fangio, one of the greatest Formula 1 drivers of all time.

As Zonda production comes to a close, the last example to ever be built is also the brainchild of one man. But while Horacio Pagani had to struggle and climb his way to the top to see his vision realized, the Qatari royal who is commissioning the very last Zonda, titled the Zonda Uno is able to simply throw money at whatever he wants.

The biggest detail change seems to be the robin’s egg blue color that the Qatari Royal Family’s other cars are apparently painted. No details about any mechanical changes have been announced, but rest assured it’s stupidly fast, and sounds like the Armageddon, so what else do you need to know?

[Source: Autoblog]

 |  Feb 06, 12:06 PM

Zonda R_3-4 alto front.jpg

Legendary Italian supercar-maker Pagani first showed us its track version of the Zonda at the Vienna Auto Show in January and now they have released full specifications and plenty of photos. Called the Zonda R, this track-only machine weighs just 2,359 lbs and makes 750hp!

Weight is kept to a bare minimum through the use of a carbon fiber body (as with all Zonda models), which sits over top of a new carbon-titanium composite monocoque. Cromoly parts are used for the front and rear suspension and all pieces are held together through the use of titanium bolts.

The engine is the same 6.0-liter V12 AMG powerplant that is the motivation behind all of Pagani’s model, except output has been increased to the 750 mark at 7500 rpm. Torque is rated at 524 ft-lbs at 5700 rpm. This is enough, says Pagani, to rocket the Zonda R to 60 mph in just 2.7 seconds.

Zonda R_3-4 retro basso.jpg

Getting all that power to the ground is made possible thanks to an ultra-light magnesium Xtrac gearbox, operated by paddle shifters. Gear changes fly by in just 20 milliseconds. To put that in perspective, the current fastest gearbox in a street car is found int he Ferrari F430 Scuderia, which changes gears in 60 ms.

Making the car a true track machine is the fully adjustable suspension, as well as adjustable aerodynamics. Pagani says the Zonda R can be set up to produce as much as 3,307 lbs of downforce – which is, theoretically, enough to to allow the Zonda R to drive upside down and still stick to a surface.

Alternatively, the car can be adapted for high speed, with a top speed rating of 217 mph.

Zonda R_INTERNI DEF.jpg

As this is a dedicated track machine, the Zonda R comes equipped with a roll cage and an FIA homolgated racing seats with five-point safety belts.

Other state-of-the-art items include Brembo carbon-ceramic brakes and an inconel exhaust – the same sort of exhaust used of Formula 1 cars.

The Pagani Zonda R will be produced in a limited number with Horacio Pagani signing each vehicle. The cost of ownership is extraordinary, with an MSRP of 1,460,000 Euros or roughly $1.9 million.

Pagani Zonda R:

Zonda R_3-4 ANT bassa.jpgZonda R_3-4 front.jpgZonda R_PIANTA COFANI.jpgZonda R_PIANTA.jpgZonda R_Fronte alto.jpgZonda R_RETRO ALTO.jpgZonda R_RETRO BASSO.jpgZonda R_MOTORE.jpgZonda R_DSC0840.jpgZonda R_DSC0170.jpgZonda R_DSC0064.jpgZonda R_DSC0815.jpg

Official release after the jump:

Continue Reading…